Chapter Twenty-Seven

Uyko ran to Ranma's side and helped him out of the now empty pond to his feet.

Uyko had run inside for some warm water when she saw Ranma change, his curse activated by Ken's trick, and now poured the water over Ranma. Ranma reverted back to his male self.

"Thanks Uyko," he said. "Now if I can only get rid of this marriage license plastered to my chest, I'll be able to move more quickly!"

"I might be able to help with that," Uyko said. "I've been working on a new non-stick solvent for cooking pans. Perhaps it might work for this."

"It's worth a try," Ranma said. "How long will it take you to mix up a batch?"

Uyko shook her head. "I don't know. I've been experimenting as I go along. Some tests have been successful, some haven't. But I'm not sure if it'll work to remove glue from skin."

"Well, better than nothin'! Go make some, and ask Kasumi to help. She's a wizz in the kitchen like you are. I need this thing off me to fight properly. With every move I make, it pulls at my skin making it difficult and very painful!"

"Okay," Uyko said. "Just hang on."

"I don't have a choice."

Ranma ran pass her and made his way to Ryoga, to join him to fight Copycat Ken. And Uyko ran into the house and explained everything to Kasumi what she needed done.

Ryoga vomited as Ranma came to his side. Ranma bent down, his skin pulled from the glue with the movement, but tried to ignore it. "Ryoga, hang on, pal!"

Ranma finally discarded his shirt and placed himself between Ken and Ryoga, and immediately got into a defensive posture.

"You aint gettin' past me, buddy!" he said scornfully. "I'll destroy you!" He took a deep breath and despite the pain he knew it would cause, decided to use his beat move. "Chestnuts Roasting Over An Open Fire!" he shouted, and fire off a quick succession of lightning strikes at Ken, using both his arms like missiles.

But Ken was much quicker than Ranma figured, and even without transforming, using his chameleon trickery and cloak, Ken defended using the same technique, then suddenly performed a leg sweep than knocked Ranma off balance and onto his back. With the CNROAOF technique, all the power came from the arms, so the easiest defense and weakness was to take it away by hitting the most vulnerable spot - the legs.

Ranma grimaced as he fell back hard and eyes widened with shock. Ken had been so fast in the leg sweep. He was able to duck avoid his CNROAOF strikes, and duck down and expose a major weakness. It was a weakness Ranma only recently discovered himself. Something Cologne, Shampoo's great-grandmother failed to tell him about. But he would never have thought Ken would know it.

Ranma cursed himself. He should have known better. Ken always scouted his opponents first before engaging in them. Or, perhaps Xi'an told him about it. Regardless, one of his best - if not thee best fighting technique he had - was rendered moot.

Ranma got back to his feet. "So you can counter this technique, big deal." He shrugged his shoulders faking indifference. "I have a lot more, even my own Lion Roar Shot."

"But less effective, I would imagine," Ken retorted. "I can't believe Akane Tendo isn't Ryoga's fiancée instead, since Ryoga is more powerful than you."

"Ryoga isn't stronger than I am!" Ranma said defensively. "It's been proven on numerous occasions!"

"And yet he can still beat you with hisLRS."

"He's...beaten me...sometimes. But never in a formal match!"

"Does that really matter? A defeat is a defeat. And martial artist's take any kind of defeat seriously. It damages their pride. Ryoga is stronger than you. Admit it, Ranma Saotome! If he didn't cast the demon out of him, it'd be him versus you right now - and you wouldn't have a hope in hell against him!"

Ranma snarled angrily. But he had no response to it. Right now, yes... Ranma admitted, Ryoga would beat the crap out of him with his stomach wound. But it wasn't Ryoga versus Ranma, it was Ranma versus Ken, and Ranma knew he could take the magician!

But that's all it took to distract Ranma, a sudden inner mindfulness to build his confidence, and with a swift roundhouse kick to the jaw, Ken laid Ranma out flat on the ground, stomach down.

The pain showed deeply on Ranma's face as he gritted his teeth, his fingers digging deep into the dirt. Landing on his stomach delivered a devastating reverberation of pain throughout his body.

"Sometimes it's the simple things that work the best, like good old fashion kicks," Ken said. "I told you I've a few new tricks and kept up-to-date with the old ones."

"Are you finished?" Ryoga said, his arms folded over his chest.

Ken looked up, and was shocked to see Ryoga on his feet and in perfect health. Distracted by Ranma, he had neglected Akane Tendo momentarily, which gave Akane time to give Ryoga Hibiki the medicinal herbs. And they apparently worked quickly.

Ryoga had swallowed the entire bag, and like some magic foodstuff, he seemed instantly energized, the poison gone.

Standing up straight, he pulled off his shirt to reveal a lean, muscular body. He threw it to the ground and began to stretch. "Without hindrance, I have more flexibility." He didn't mind Akane seeing him shirtless, and it also showed her his masculinity. "Now, shall we try it again, Copycat Ken?"

Just then, about twenty teenage boys and girls in white martial arts gi burst onto the battlefield. Their eyes pupil less and shaded red, each possessed under Xi'an influence.

Copycat Ken smiled smug. But he was almost annoyed that the Master didn't have more faith in him, having to send reinforcements. But he accepted them.

"Attack Ryoga Hibiki! Kill him now!" Ken ordered, and the students obeyed.

They charged towards him, shouting cries of belligerence and violence...

But Ryoga didn't move, but merely closed his eyes, and said, "I'm sorry...forgive me."

The ground began to shake, and suddenly the sky filled with a depressive ball of Ki, as Ryoga called forth the Lion Roar Shot - its most devastating aspect - and Ryoga brought it down upon the students.

Cried of panic and pain followed, and each student crashed hard to the ground as they felt the massive depressive force of the LRS. However, Ryoga didn't feel a thing, as the energy went straight through him, as he was emptied of all emotion and Ki. Their anguish cries were heard.

And Ken gasped with shock and awe, inches from crater that now formed around Ryoga with him at its core, and the students filling the inner circle, either moaning or unconscious.

When Ryoga opened his eyes, returning to his conscious state, he saw the LRS's devastation, the crater, and each of the twenty students either laying defeated.

"I'm sorry..." Ryoga said again, "but you gave me no choice." He looked up at Ken. "They'll be fine. But they can not be used as your pawns anymore! Your master is a coward sending out his students to fight a battle for him, or he has no confidence in you."

Ken growled. "I can beat you!"

Ryoga ran up the side of the crater, flipped into the air, and landed in front of Ken.

Smiling, he said, "I accept your challenge!"

To be continued...