Constructive criticism on style, in-character, out-of-character issues, believability of dialog and plotline, and where improvements can be made and how are encouraged and welcomed!
Hyakurengumo: Training the Spider
A Ranma ½ / Spider-man fusion
Chapter 21:
Revelations, Part 1
Lifting his head, Ben Reilly looked Peter and Mary Jane Parker in the eyes.
"Peter, MJ, I don't blame you for being uptight," Ben said. "If I was sitting where you are, I'm sure I would be too if another clone suddenly waltzed into my life. Especially one with gender bending issues," he chuckled. "Pete, I remember how the Jackal messed with both our heads last time. We didn't know which was up there for a while. I was ready to assure you this isn't Act Two of the same play, but now I'm not so sure. I had a list too ... It makes me wonder if I've got some of the Jackal's programming still wired inside my noggin ... or if it's just a Parker thing.
"I came back to the States to do several things, neutralizing a list of your most troublesome adversaries was one of them. That worries me now. But regardless, I've got something to offer you that should make your life easier. It wont be any less complicated, being Spider-man is always going to be complicated, but it can be easier."
"You'll be amazed at the things I can do now -- things you can do too Pete, with discipline and training. I'm offering to train you to do things with the Spider-powers that I still have a hard time believing. Really, taking out the Goblin the other night wasn't much of a workout."
"What do you mean 'taking out the Goblin?' What did you do to him?" A sudden chill ran down Parker's spine. Somehow, he just couldn't trust this new version of himself, especially the way he was talking now. It sounded too good to be true.
"Don't worry. I didn't kill him," Reilly responded. "You wouldn't kill him would you? I just got to do something you've wanted to do for a long time. I beat him so silly all he could think about was getting away. I'm pretty sure he won't bother you for a while. He'll probably be consumed with figuring out who I am and plotting revenge on me."
"And Norman's got a lot of time on his hands right now," Reilly thought to himself with a smile.
"Right now you don't have to worry about the Goblin, but unless I miss my guess, he'll be back, and I want you ready if he does show up," Ben Reilly continued his tale for the injured Peter Parker and wife.
"What do you meant 'if he does show up'," Mary Jane interrupted. The Green Goblin was a fixture in their lives, even when not physically present.
"Well, MJ, even though I put a pretty thorough beating on him, I can't say he won't ever be a threat again," Reilly said. "He could show up next week, but I'm fairly confident he won't be hatching anything like he tried the other night," Reilly replied. "At least any time soon."
"Wait a minute," Peter broke in. "I want to know how you knew the Goblin was going to go after Mary Jane and Aunt May. You said it made you late to the bridge. Why were you coming to the bridge anyway?"
"Duh, Pete. Why were you there? I remember Gwen too, ya know. Besides, I wanted to talk with you anyway. I wanted to break the news that I was in town a little more gently than it turned out."
"That doesn't explain how you knew about MJ and Aunt May."
"Well, uh, I'm not real proud of this, but I've been keeping an eye on your apartment for some time now, and I've been keeping tabs on Norman's comings and goings too. I've gotten to know your patterns pretty well. Norman was high on my list, right along with Venom.
"Anyway, between watching the you and the Goblin, I began to suspect Norman knew about your little trip to the bridge and had something planned for that night.
"It didn't take much to figure out I better keep an eye on your homefront before I went to pay my respects. Good thing I did too. You two didn't know anything was up did you?" Reilly grinned at the couple.
"No," Mary Jane admitted.
Peter Parker eyed his counterpart warily. There was something this version of Ben Reilly wasn't telling them.
"Ok, I don't know how you did it, but I'll take your word on it Ben," Parker said. "I can't do much about it on my own right now, anyway."
"Now I want to know about this 'Now I'm a girl, now I'm a guy thing,' you've got going on. You keep calling it Chinese magic," Peter steered the conversation back to the tale.
"It is Chinese magic, or at least the source of the magic is in China," Reilly picked up the story again.
"And how did you get to China?"
"Well actually, I was in Japan."
§☼§☼§
Wong opened the study door as the golden light of the Eye of Agamotto faded. Ben Reilly was headed back toward his seat at the table as Dr. Strange unfolded his legs from his hovering lotus position, extending them to touch the floor once more.
"Interesting," the mystic mused as Wong placed the tea on the table without a mishap. The servant stood back as his employer approached.
"What did you find out Doc?" Ben Reilly blurted the question burning inside both his and Ranma's minds. "Did you find a cure?"
"I hate to answer both 'yes' and 'no,' my friends, but there is no simple answer to your quandry," the Sorcerer Supreme replied. "This a deep magic indeed."
"However, to set you and Wong at ease, there is no resident evil in the magic that changes your forms on contact with water," the mage continued. "You will not go insane as a result of the magic involved, and there is no demon associated with the magic. You are the victims of an unfortunate merging of powerful words and a supernatural power older than this world."
"But ... " Wong began.
"Wait, my friend," Dr. Strange said, raising his hand to silence his butler.
Turning again to his guests he said, "You can live the rest of your lives with no other effects than the inconvenience you have already encountered."
"The rest of my life ..." Ranma was crestfallen. "You mean there's no cure?"
"Not in the way I perceive you were hoping for Saotome-san. Really there are two ways to rid yourself of the Jusenkyo spring water, but both are simple and difficult at the same time," Dr. Strange replied.
"Doc, are you sure you're not a politician?" Ben Reilly asked. "I thought you didn't want to answer both 'yes' and 'no.' It seems that's exactly what you are doing."
"As I knew it would," the sorcerer laughed. "I'll try to cut it down to the bare facts for you both.
"There is no cure for the transformational effects of the Jusenkyo spring water. They are permanent. That is important to know for those seeking to cure a Jusenkyo curse with a second plunge into a spring.
"A dip in a second Jusenkyo spring will not offset the effect of any other spring. All someone who tries to 'cure' themselves with a second dip will get is a second 'curse.'
"In both of your cases, a dip in the Nannichuan will result in a second transformation. You would still turn into women when splashed with cold water, but would transform into men when splashed the second time with either hot or cold water."
"But the Jusenkyo guide sent a cask of Nannichuan water..." Ranma began only to be silenced by Dr. Strange's upraised hand.
"The second splash would transform you according to its temperature. A dash of cold water would turn you into a 'cursed form' male, or a dash of warm water would do what it does now -- turn you back into your true form," Dr. Strange explained.
"However, both of you have within you the means to remove this inconvenience from you lives. It is simple, but neither of you will find it easy, especially you Saotome-san. You have begun to accept this condition as part of your being. It has transformed not only your body, but the way you see the world. Indeed, it is part of 'you' for most people who know you. In some ways this is good, giving you insight into the mysteries of womanhood, but it is perilous.
"Truly, both of you have remarkably noble and unfettered spirits. Neither of you seem to have traveled the seductive path of perversion that a transgender curse like yours would present to most," their host continued.
"Huh? What do you mean?" both Ranma and Reilly asked.
"Look at the changing views on homosexuality in the developed world, gentlemen," Dr. Strange continued his discourse. "Some would consider your condition more a blessing rather than a curse. I suspect the number of visitors to Jusenkyo would rise dramatically if the news of the Nyannichuan and the Nannichuan became common knowledge.
"All I'm saying is neither of you show any indication of being seduced by your condition's twisting of the natural sexual orientation. Despite your gender-shifting dilemna, you are both male to the core, even when in your female forms. That in itself is a pitfall for you," the mystic chuckled at the perplexed expression on the two men's faces. "My friends, if I have to explain this to you, you are in no danger -- unless I explain it to you and cast the seeds of temptation into your lives. I won't do it.
"Only the nobility of your spirits makes it possible for me to tell you how you can be rid of the difficulty in your lives. There are two possible cures. Both require discipline and faith. The first way -- the one I recommend to you both -- you can begin working on today. You must have faith that the Word of the Most High is Truth -- and discipline to believe that truth and speak it constantly.
"It is the most accessable of the two and the most sure. It is also the most difficult to attain because it is almost purely spiritual. However, when your release comes, it will come quickly."
"There is a passage in the Hebrew scriptures stating without qualification that: 'Like a flitting sparrow, like flying swallow, so a curse without cause shall not alight,'" Dr. Strange said. "In my years of studying the mystic arts I have found the Hebrew scriptures and their adjoining Christian writings to be superior to all other mystic writings when applied with faith.
"I'm not saying other faiths are without merit, they alsocontain truth that can be discerned by mankind, but when rightly understood and applied with faith, the truth found in the Hebrew and Christian writings will supercede all other mystic scriptures. They seem to convey a higher truth.
"My adventures in the spiritual world have forced me to conclude that Truth is the ultimate and defining standard of our universe and many others. Misunderstood or endeavored without true faith, these writings are no different from any other spiritual writings. Without the vital ingredient of a steadfast and sure belief in their veracity, these writing will disappoint in the same way all spiritual prescriptives fail irresolute adherants," Dr. Strange said.
"You must find the thing inside you that continues to give this magic a place in your lives. If you can find it and change yourselves, the 'curse causeless' will have no foundation and fade away."
"The second way is more exotic, and fraught with peril for the seeker and the world," Dr. Strange continued. "It involves seeking the source of the Jusenkyo waters before they enter the springs with their woeful templates.
"Jusendo..." Ranma breathed the word.
"No, not Jusendo," Wong interupted. His surprise that Ranma knew the place was evident on his face. "Jusendo and its caves are just the outflow of the true source."
"That is correct," Dr. Strange continued. "If you can find that hidden source and bathe in it, drink it, legend has it a man can fashion a design for himself out of it. Where the templates of the springs were set by tragedy, this fount has no set template other than the true heart of the seeker. If you are able to harness that power, you can become anything you want to become, short of a god. Many have attempted to find Jusenkyo's source, haven't they Wong?" the mystic turned toward his manservant.
"Y-Yes," Wong replied tremulously. "The demon Saffron is one such who succeeded and paid the price."
"Saffron! I defeated Saffron..." Ranma blurted. Piercing stares from Dr. Strange and his servant made his words dry up in the young martial artist's throat.
"So you have encountered the Phoenix Lord, and defeated him," Dr. Strange said. "Truly Saotome-san you are an amazing young man."
"Yes, many have found the source of the springs to their own detriment," the mystic continued. "Saffron is one of those. Few there are who are able to completely harness the supernatural essense they contain. That failure has produced terrible consequenses in their lives and the lives of those around them, hasn't it Wong?"
"I know of none who have succeeded, master," the butler replied. "That is why we guard the source of the springs, the Navel of the World. Nothing good ever happens when the pilgrims come, especially if they seek the Navel. It is a great peril to the world. Master, you obviously know these things. Why would you even mention this to our visitors?" Wong said with a shudder.
"Normally, I wouldn't Wong, but they may have need of this knowledge later," Dr. Strange replied.
"Wong, tell our guests the story of your people and the wellspring of Jusendo -- the Navel of the World -- as you call it."
"Very well, master. Normally the oaths of my tribe would require I kill anyone who hears this tale, but..."
"But..." Reilly and Ranma leaned toward this mild-mannered potential new menace.
"But I never swore the oaths of the Hunters of Demons," was Wong's simple reply. "The demons of Phoenix Mountain massacred my people before I came of age to swear the oaths and begin my training as a Demon Hunter. I was being punished for disobedience and was confined to the out building that day. I escaped unharmed," bitterness and guilt tinged Wong's voice.
The manservant paused. Taking a sip from his tea, he calmed himself and began.
"According to the traditions of my people, we came to the high mountains that separate India from China and Tibet in the almost forgotten past. The tales speak of a great mountain that reached almost to the sky and the anger of the Great God toward men. There was a terrible judgement and we fled from that place in the west and sought refuge in the mountains of the east.
"Along the way, my ancestors encountered many strange and wonderful things, but wherever they went, there were no people. As they traveled their numbers dwindled as families found areas to their liking and settled along the way.
"Finally my ancestors reached the fountainhead of the river they followed deep into the mountains. It was a pleasant high mountain valley, a bowl really, surrounded by soaring peaks.
Ranma snorted as though he recognized Wong's description.
"At the base of a sheer rock face, a deep pool was the source of the river they followed to their journey's end. It suited the remnants of the group and they decided to stay make it their home.
"But the leader of the tribe was consumed with fear of further judgement from the Great God. He knew if they could find the valley, others would eventually follow and he kept urging the tribe to drive deeper into the mountains. But the people were tired and felt they would be safe in their seclusion.
"By chance, one of his sons found the entrance to a cave under the surface of the pool from which the river flowed. It seemed a perfect refuge to the leader and he made his son swear an oath of secrecy, to never reveal what he had discovered. The family held the existance of the cave close, even from other members of the tribe. They began to explore under the mountain and soon found the water had cut a passage leading ever upward.
"Over the years, the ancients built a village in the pool valley and settled the surrounding slopes. But they began to notice something was amiss. The children began to manifest unusual abilities, which were quickly labeled magic and sorcery -- collusion with the enemy of the Great God and therefore liable to bring a second judgement on our people. Some were killed. Others were driven off."
Wong took another sip of his tea.
"Ironically, the children of the cave-finder were the first to have unusual powers, and the cave-finder himself soon showed he was trafficking with the spiritual enemy too, when he sought to defend one of his children sentenced to death by the village council. By order of his own father, the finder and his family were banished from the village. The elders speak with regret of this show of mercy. That family became the beginning of the Phoenix demons.
"The banished traveled south from their former home before turning into the mountains to the west of the river. After just a few days they settled in valley even higher than the one they were forced to leave. Their new home was watered by a spring high up on a peak that bordered the valley they just left. Only the birds of the mountains could reach that spring," Wong said.
"Years passed and the two villages grew. The original settlers soon found that some of their number were able to detect the ones with the special powers -- the ones they called consorters with demons -- while having no other abilities of their own. They became the witch hunters, and demon hunters developing the arts and techniques of exorcism. Perpetual warfare against the demonic forces rampant in the area and the descendants of their own banished ancestors shaped the world of my people," Wong continued.
"They became very good at their chosen art -- actually too good. They were eventually attacked in their own home by hordes of demon forces. Neither side faired well. The demons were destroyed, but the valley was ruined, the peaks crumbling into the once fair land to choke the pool and bury the village of my ancestors.
"The survivors sought refuge in another valley off to the west of their home, but they could not forsake their original home or its heritage. Before departing they consecrated the land and honored the dead who lay there with many oaths.
" 'May the memory of our honored dead never depart the world, nor their image depart from before the eyes of man. May the race of demons and their cohorts be erased from the memory of man.' Such were the vows they uttered before leaving their valley. They also vowed to return to consecrate their former home as a training and burial ground."
"Jusenkyo," Ranma breathed as the manservant paused for another sip of tea.
"Yes. Jusenkyo," Wong continued. "When my ancestors did return to fulfill their vows, the ruined valley was filled with springs, more than one hundred. Little did they know the result the words of their oaths would have. You know that result. We used the valley as a training ground for witch hunters and demon slayers unaware of the magic resident in the waters of the springs.
"The legends say the first hint of the tragic nature of the springs came to light when a tiger wandered into the training ground. The ancients turned the poor beast into a training exercize, forcing it into one of the springs with their martial arts attacks and imprisoning it there until it drown of exhaustion. That was nearly four thousand years ago. The Spring of the Drown Tiger was the first to be imprinted. Tragically the warrior who struck the final blow was elected to fetch out the cat's carcass and the curse was revealed. When a tiger emerged carrying the body of the first cat it too was killed. In death the warrior returned to his true form.
"You know the rest of that too too tragic tale," Wong said. "Soon after the tiger, my ancestors made a grave mistake. They threw the remnants of an idol to the warrior demi-goddess Ashura into one of the springs, not realizing the magic would embrace the powers of the statue.
"Over the passing years others, both animal and human, drown in those pools, setting the patterns of transformation that those entering the springs would bear the rest of their lives. And despite what Master Strange says about you, Reilly-san and Saotome-san, most are driven insane by the Jusenkyo curse and become the possession of demons."
"What Wong says is true gentlemen, but the source of that misfortune is not in the Jusenkyo waters, but rather in the personal failings the victim brings to Jusenkyo," Dr. Strange interjected.
"But what does this have to do with the cure for the curse?" Ranma interrupted. "Jusendo is the source of the spring water, and the water of the Phoenix bird people. That I know, but I've never heard of this Navel of the World."
"Let's let Wong finish his tale, shall we. I believe your question will be answered," Dr. Strange replied.
"If you remember, before the massacre by the demons, the family of the tribe leader discovered the cave that fed the pool at the base of the Jusenkyo mountain," Wong continued. "That cave was fed by the waters of Jusendo, and the waters of Jusendo are fed by the overflow of the Navel."
"On the subject of Jusendo," Wong continued, "the caverns behind the falls -- the Phoenix Tap and the Dragon Tap -- were carved by Saffron, to facilitate his periodic transformation. Saffron is one of the unfortunates who reached the Navel, but was unable to control its power and was transformed into a demon. Though he has almost infinite power, he is a slave to the Phoenix people and his cyclical rebirths.
"And the Phoenix-bird people are my distance relatives," Wong continued. "They are the descendants of the first group to be exiled from our tribe. The magical waters affect some more easily than others. Over the years, the waters falling from that high outpouring of the Navel changed the Phoenix people, turning them into strange combinations of avians and humans."
"That part you don't have to tell me," Ranma moaned, shaking his head.
"So, let me see if I've got this right," Reilly interrupted. "We can rid ourselves of the curses with straight forward faith that we are free of them, or we can travel to China, seeking the source of the magic waters that have transformed multitudes over the centuries. Then if we find it, those same waters may cure us or turn us into some kind of powerful monstrosity, depending on the state of our spirit man?"
"In a nutshell, yes," Dr. Strange responded.
"Such is the nature of the waters of the Navel of the World," Wong said to the astounded pair.
"The Navel is the crater of an ancient volcano. In its center rises a blue pool of crystal clear water. The elders say the bottom of the pool is in another world. The water is saturated with supernatural essence that will transform those it touches. Only one man survived to tale the story of the original party of demon hunters who found the Navel. All the others were changed into the very things they swore to destroy.
"The highland valleys inhabited by the Musk, the Amazons, the Phoenix demon people and until about seventy years ago the tribe of the Chinese Demon Slayers all surround the Navel," Wong said. "For many centuries my people battled demons and secured the passes to the Navel of the World. We fought to prevent the seekers from finding it and failing that, to prevent them from returning to the world of men."
Reilly raised an eyebrow. Wong looked nowhere near seventy years old. "How did your people find the Navel, Wong? I thought only the Phoenix people knew the secret of the caves that led to Jusendo."
"The elders discovered the cave in the aftermath of the destruction of the valley. They followed the water to its source at Jusendo, and then ultimately to the Navel, where the true horror of its power was discovered.
"In their search of the caverns, they discovered underground paths of the Phoenix-bird people, whom they took for demons. There has been warfare between our peoples ever since -- at least until they came on us and destroyed my people through the power of Saffron, more than seventy years ago.
"It is the power of Saffron that they worship and serve," Wong continued. "It is such as Saffron that we opposed. Indeed, many lives were lost mapping the channels of Jusendo and Jusenkyo in an attempt to prevent Saffron's eminent transformation. I believe that is why they attacked us. I think the elders were ready to strike a decisive blow against the Phoenix Lord and his minions. Now only I survive of the Chinese Demon Hunters, but my Japanese brethren carry on the fight. I have chosen to fight at the side of the Sorcerer Supreme."
"Wong, I've got good news and bad for you," Ranma said.
A puzzled look crossed the manservant's face.
"The bad news is that Saffron has already undergone his transformation," Ranma continued. "The good news is that I managed to defeat him and put him back into his child-like form about five years ago. I don't know when the transformation will come around again though."
"How is this possible?" Wong stammered. "The elders say each life cycle of the Phoenix Lord lasts five hundred years as he pours out his energies as the slave of the Phoenix-bird demons, before dying and being reborn to serve them again."
"Well, uh, he transformed, hatched out of an egg, actually and ... and I had to kill him to save Akane," Ranma explained.
A look of wonder took center stage on both Wong's and Dr. Strange's faces.
"Saotome-san, yours is an astounding claim," Dr. Strange began slowly. "I detected exposure to deep magic when I examined your spirit, but there was nothing to indicate anything of this magnitude. Please, if you have the time, tell us the story of your encounter with Saffron."
"Ben?" Ranma turned to Reilly.
"Tell it. I've only heard the abbreviated version and now I want to know just who I've got as a sensei," Reilly responded.
"Well, it all started when the Jusenkyo Guide's daughter brought the map of the springs to Japan and the Phoenix-bird people came looking for it ... " Ranma began.
§☼§☼§
A short time later, two Parkers and a Reilly settled in around the couple's dining room table. A thermal carafe of nearly boiling water held center stage along with a saucer of teabags.
"I'm sure it's nothing like what you're used to Ben, but it's the best we can offer," Mary Jane said.
"It'll be fine MJ," Reilly waved off her apology. "Just so long as it's not decaffinated," he said as he dropped a bag into the heated water.
"Ok, where to begin? Anyway, there are these magical springs in China at a place called Jusenkyo. If you fall into one, your body gets transformed into whatever drown in that spring first. A couple of my instructors were unfortunate enough to suffer from those transformational curses. Sensei Ranma got knocked into the Spring of the Drown Girl when he was only 16. His father fell into the Spring of the Drown Panda the same day.
"So when they get splashed with cold water, Ranma turns into a girl and his dad turns into a giant panda. It's caused them a world of trouble over the years, but they've finally learned to live with it.
"I really think it makes Ranma a better husband now. I know it's helped me understand the ladies' point of view." He grinned at Mary Jane.
"Normally cold water turns you into the 'cursed' form and as you've seen, warm or hot water will turn you back," the clone continued. "For years Sensei Ranma thought if he could jump in the Spring of the Drowned Man, the Nannichuan, he'd be cured of turning into a girl. Heck, the way they told it, everyone, even the Jusenkyo guide, thought that would work. It didn't turn out to be true though.
"Instead, we found out from Dr. Strange the transformations just piggy back on top of each other, so another dip in the springs is out. Right now it seems we're stuck with being aqua transexuals until we can figure out the flaw in our personalities that is giving the curse a right to be on our bodies. In the mean time it makes a heck of a disguise ... "
(EoC21r2)
A/N: Well this chapter was getting out of hand again so I split it up. I was sort of writing blind on this one since all I've got to go by was the online synopsis of the final two volumes of the manga. Feel free to point out any gaffs and I'll do my best to correct them. I got to put a little more polish on Part 2 before I post it, but I hope to have it out in days not weeks.
Now on to some good news and bad news for readers. First the bad news: the updates on this story are likely to come slower from this point on out. I've got to reprioritise some things in my life and this story is going to slip a notch or two, so it may take me a little longer to get the chapters out. The (hopefully) good news? The story will be a LOT longer than I originally intended. It's already a LOT longer than I originally intended, but I don't see a good way of wrapping up some of the loose ends, and taking stabs at writing some of the characters I've mostly ignored to this point more prominently into the story. Remember, this is a test run on writing a novel for me, so there are some more things I want to try before wrapping this up.
And now on to the review responses:
dogbertcarroll: Where you been man? Congrats on turning in the #1 and #101 reviews on this story. Solving Akane's problems like that would be a cop out if I solve all her problems by eliminating the mallet demon, but that was never my intention. Be patient.
Lord Oberon: Hope you find the current chapter at least satisfying. It was difficult to write and still needs polish. Right now it's a little clumsy in my opinion. MJ and Bennie on a shopping trip? I really can't see it now that MJ knows Bennie is really Ben. I think it would eventually creep her out and really embarrass Ben. However it does give me some ideas for possible (now make that probable) further action in New York. BTW, thanks for handing out review #100.
goldfighter: There's a whole lot more coming.
Chemical Love: Seems ol' Wong has closer ties to Jusenkyo than anyone at Marvel ever imagined! As for the question about who meets who where -- since it has been coming up resently, I'm giving it more consideration. Stay tuned.
Lerris: Oh mighty Lerris, I am honored to have you among those willing to leave a review of this humble effort. Yeah, the dual plot lines are trying to pull this story off the Ranma page and onto the Spider-man page. Not sure how I'm going to handle this yet. If you read the A/N above I'm looking at how to tie up and strengthen the weak plot threads you mention.
borg rabbit: Still trying to figure out what to do with the list thing without it becoming too cliche.
Gee,
was that early 70s or late 70s? Unlike you, I was never able to
completely put Peter and the Dr. away when I entered the 'real' world
of work, family, maturity, etc. My knowledge is sketchy at best, but
hopefully it will serve for this story. As for the computer: "Ouch!"
Makes me appreciate living where the cable runs.
Wonderbee31: Hope you like my version of the story of the origin of Jusenkyo. There's a lot more that could be done there, but I don't think the story needs the extra baggage right now. Hmm, who came to New York? Well, I'm working on that project for a little further down the line. We've all got to go back to Japan for a while after the next chapter.
Dragon
Man 180: Ol' Wong might try, but a ward wouldn't do much good against
Cologne or Happi (or maybe it would? Just why is Happi so unbeatable?
Could it be -- satan? ... and now, Live from New York ... the prince of
darkness and his perverted court jester ).
There's that question again. OK, I'll give it a go, but not right away. I've got more Japan story to tell.