Chapter 6: The Challenger
Ranma was very happy. Naru had made life much easier for him. Now that Shampoo and Mousse were together there was one less fiancée and one less guy with a grudge against Ranma. The fact that Ryoga had stopped attacking him was also a plus. If she could just get rid of the Kunous and get Ukyo a boyfriend things would be practically perfect.
He and Naru had made an agreement. In return for teaching both her and Akane some techniques, she would teach him those pressure points she had used against Happosia and his father. In fact, they were going to teach each other everything they knew. Even Akane was putting in her two cents. She was teaching them how to pull a mallet out of thin air. Ryoga was also joining and showing them what he knew. Sometimes Ukyo, Shampoo and Mousse would also stop by to work with them. Everyone was improving. Ranma was still the best, and his quickness, his ability to heal fast, and his way of adapting techniques would most likely keep him there, but he was pretty hard pressed, especially by Ryoga, Naru and (though he hated to admit it) Akane.
In fact, Akane had really improved. She and Naru were about equal now. Their fights would usually end in a tie, and when one of them did win, it was not by much.
Akane and Naru knew this. At night, they would discuss what they had learned during the day. "Now," said Akane. "If we can just trick him into fighting one of us, we'll know how we both stand against him."
"Shampoo and Ukyo too." None of the boys knew it, but all the girls (minus Kodachi) were studying together (Naru had worked some of her special magic and now all of them were getting along.).
"Yeah. The problem is, the jerk won't fight a girl. If we could even get to fight Ryoga we would have some idea, but he doesn't fight us either. It's like some kind of conspiracy."
"You know English right?" Naru asked.
"Yeah. Why?"
"Want to hear something clever?"
"Sure."
"Translate 'Reckless Annoying Neriman Martial Artist' to English and take the first letter of each word."
"So."
"What does it spell?"
"Umm." Akane's eyes brightened in realization and delight. "It spells Ranma. That is clever."
"That's just proof that it is a conspiracy." Naru said jokingly.
"Can you do any of the others?" Akane asked.
"I'm working on it. Actually right now I'm working on his last name. Stubborn, oblivious, annoying. no already did that..." She trailed off, lost in thought.
Akane went back to the original problem. "How do we trick him into fighting one of us?" She mused to herself.
"Antagonistic. That's it." Naru smiled. "Oh, pardon Akane. What did you say?"
Akane repeated the question.
"Oh, I've already dealt with that." Naru smiled at Akane's shocked expression. "Now, what good word begins with 't'?"
Ranma and Ryoga were walking home together, talking companionably about martial arts (what else). They had become pretty good friends now that Ryoga understood that it was not Ranma's fault that he turned into a pig. They still fought occasionally, but it was more a show of skill than a match.
The two of them were so caught up in their discussion of how to adapt Akane's cosmo-mallet technique that they didn't notice the stranger that was walking beside them until he spoke.
"But if you could pull the mallet out without grabbing it, and just position it above the guys head." Ranma was saying.
"How would you do that?" The stranger asked.
"I haven't quite figured that part out yet, but if you could." Ranma did a double take. "Wait a sec, who're you?"
The stranger smiled. Ryoga was looking between him and Ranma in amazement. He looked almost exactly like Ranma. The only differences were the color of his eyes, the length of his hair, the style of his clothing, and a slightly different build of his body. But other than that, they could be mistaken for one another.
"I'm a martial artist."
"So what else is new?" Ranma shrugged. "You snuck up on me like that. Of course you're a martial artist. You new to the area?"
"Yeah. I'm a pretty good one too."
"Obviously."
"I hear you're the best martial artist in these parts. I wanted to know if I could, perhaps, challenge you to a match?" The stranger looked hopeful. "I don't expect to win, but I want to know how well I measure up to you."
Ranma thought about it. Ryoga added his opinion.
"If you won't I will. This guy looks like a challenge." Ryoga grinned.
"You must be Ryoga Hibiki, second only to Ranma in martial arts. I was going to challenge you to a match as well, sometime after the one with Ranma (provided he accepts). Would you?"
"That sounds fine to me."
"Yeah, I accept your challenge as well. How about tomorrow?" Ranma said. "I'm getting tired of the same old people."
"But I thought you said you were getting tired of fighting." Naru said to Ranma.
"I.um." Ranma muttered uncomfortably.
"Oh come on Naru. We all know that you know that Ranma doesn't fight girls." Ryoga said.
"Ranma didn't know that." Naru had that sweet, insincere, smile on that she always wore when making anyone, especially Ranma, squirm. "I was having fun with him. Why'd you have to ruin it Ryoga?" Her teasing smile was on Ryoga now.
"Because you were going to make him miserable."
"So?"
"Wait a minute," Ranma frowned. "You mean to say that you knew I didn't fight girls, and you weren't going to kill me because of it."
"Genma is your father. Of course you don't fight girls."
"Hey, I'm."
"I know you're nothing like him. But he did train you, and some things are hard to shake." She smiled. "I mean to break you of that."
"Ok. Great." Ranma sounded a bit unsure.
"First lesson, if I'm the one who asks for the fight, it's my fault if I get hurt because I challenged you."
Ranma, who was so used to everything being his fault, seemed shocked by this thought.
"Second lesson, which has nothing to with fighting girls, but you should learn just the same, not everything is your fault. And some other people in the room would do well to learn that to." She didn't mention any names, but her gaze seemed to linger on Soun, Genma (in panda form and glaring and Naru), and Akane. "And you should always get a chance to explain yourself." This was definitely directed at Akane.
Ranma was very shocked by this. Everyone was always taking Akane's side in almost everything, but here she was, subtly taking his side. He really liked this girl.
"Hey, Nabiki." Naru had come back after showing Ryoga where his room was. "You going to take any bets on tomorrow's fight?"
"No. Everyone will be betting on Ranma, and Ranma will most likely win." Nabiki sighed. "If only."
"He won't win." Naru said. "I know him. However." She smiled. "I wanted to make a bet with you on something else."
"What?" Nabiki was intrigued.
Naru told her. Nabiki clapped her hands with glee. This was going to be an easy win. Even Ranma wasn't that stupid.
Akane lay on her bed, studying. Naru walked in. Akane looked up.
"That was pretty clever, what you did to Ranma. Tell me, was that challenge staged?"
"Huh, the challenge? Oh no. That was real. I just took advantage of it." Naru seemed distracted.
"Well, I hope the other guy wins. It will serve Ranma right." Naru saw that there was no conviction behind those words.
"He most likely won't, unless Ranma gets careless."
"You know him." Akane asked excitedly.
"Hmm, you could say that." Naru grinned. "I'm going to tell you a secret Akane, but don't you dare tell anyone else. At least, not yet."
Ranma was very happy. Naru had made life much easier for him. Now that Shampoo and Mousse were together there was one less fiancée and one less guy with a grudge against Ranma. The fact that Ryoga had stopped attacking him was also a plus. If she could just get rid of the Kunous and get Ukyo a boyfriend things would be practically perfect.
He and Naru had made an agreement. In return for teaching both her and Akane some techniques, she would teach him those pressure points she had used against Happosia and his father. In fact, they were going to teach each other everything they knew. Even Akane was putting in her two cents. She was teaching them how to pull a mallet out of thin air. Ryoga was also joining and showing them what he knew. Sometimes Ukyo, Shampoo and Mousse would also stop by to work with them. Everyone was improving. Ranma was still the best, and his quickness, his ability to heal fast, and his way of adapting techniques would most likely keep him there, but he was pretty hard pressed, especially by Ryoga, Naru and (though he hated to admit it) Akane.
In fact, Akane had really improved. She and Naru were about equal now. Their fights would usually end in a tie, and when one of them did win, it was not by much.
Akane and Naru knew this. At night, they would discuss what they had learned during the day. "Now," said Akane. "If we can just trick him into fighting one of us, we'll know how we both stand against him."
"Shampoo and Ukyo too." None of the boys knew it, but all the girls (minus Kodachi) were studying together (Naru had worked some of her special magic and now all of them were getting along.).
"Yeah. The problem is, the jerk won't fight a girl. If we could even get to fight Ryoga we would have some idea, but he doesn't fight us either. It's like some kind of conspiracy."
"You know English right?" Naru asked.
"Yeah. Why?"
"Want to hear something clever?"
"Sure."
"Translate 'Reckless Annoying Neriman Martial Artist' to English and take the first letter of each word."
"So."
"What does it spell?"
"Umm." Akane's eyes brightened in realization and delight. "It spells Ranma. That is clever."
"That's just proof that it is a conspiracy." Naru said jokingly.
"Can you do any of the others?" Akane asked.
"I'm working on it. Actually right now I'm working on his last name. Stubborn, oblivious, annoying. no already did that..." She trailed off, lost in thought.
Akane went back to the original problem. "How do we trick him into fighting one of us?" She mused to herself.
"Antagonistic. That's it." Naru smiled. "Oh, pardon Akane. What did you say?"
Akane repeated the question.
"Oh, I've already dealt with that." Naru smiled at Akane's shocked expression. "Now, what good word begins with 't'?"
Ranma and Ryoga were walking home together, talking companionably about martial arts (what else). They had become pretty good friends now that Ryoga understood that it was not Ranma's fault that he turned into a pig. They still fought occasionally, but it was more a show of skill than a match.
The two of them were so caught up in their discussion of how to adapt Akane's cosmo-mallet technique that they didn't notice the stranger that was walking beside them until he spoke.
"But if you could pull the mallet out without grabbing it, and just position it above the guys head." Ranma was saying.
"How would you do that?" The stranger asked.
"I haven't quite figured that part out yet, but if you could." Ranma did a double take. "Wait a sec, who're you?"
The stranger smiled. Ryoga was looking between him and Ranma in amazement. He looked almost exactly like Ranma. The only differences were the color of his eyes, the length of his hair, the style of his clothing, and a slightly different build of his body. But other than that, they could be mistaken for one another.
"I'm a martial artist."
"So what else is new?" Ranma shrugged. "You snuck up on me like that. Of course you're a martial artist. You new to the area?"
"Yeah. I'm a pretty good one too."
"Obviously."
"I hear you're the best martial artist in these parts. I wanted to know if I could, perhaps, challenge you to a match?" The stranger looked hopeful. "I don't expect to win, but I want to know how well I measure up to you."
Ranma thought about it. Ryoga added his opinion.
"If you won't I will. This guy looks like a challenge." Ryoga grinned.
"You must be Ryoga Hibiki, second only to Ranma in martial arts. I was going to challenge you to a match as well, sometime after the one with Ranma (provided he accepts). Would you?"
"That sounds fine to me."
"Yeah, I accept your challenge as well. How about tomorrow?" Ranma said. "I'm getting tired of the same old people."
"But I thought you said you were getting tired of fighting." Naru said to Ranma.
"I.um." Ranma muttered uncomfortably.
"Oh come on Naru. We all know that you know that Ranma doesn't fight girls." Ryoga said.
"Ranma didn't know that." Naru had that sweet, insincere, smile on that she always wore when making anyone, especially Ranma, squirm. "I was having fun with him. Why'd you have to ruin it Ryoga?" Her teasing smile was on Ryoga now.
"Because you were going to make him miserable."
"So?"
"Wait a minute," Ranma frowned. "You mean to say that you knew I didn't fight girls, and you weren't going to kill me because of it."
"Genma is your father. Of course you don't fight girls."
"Hey, I'm."
"I know you're nothing like him. But he did train you, and some things are hard to shake." She smiled. "I mean to break you of that."
"Ok. Great." Ranma sounded a bit unsure.
"First lesson, if I'm the one who asks for the fight, it's my fault if I get hurt because I challenged you."
Ranma, who was so used to everything being his fault, seemed shocked by this thought.
"Second lesson, which has nothing to with fighting girls, but you should learn just the same, not everything is your fault. And some other people in the room would do well to learn that to." She didn't mention any names, but her gaze seemed to linger on Soun, Genma (in panda form and glaring and Naru), and Akane. "And you should always get a chance to explain yourself." This was definitely directed at Akane.
Ranma was very shocked by this. Everyone was always taking Akane's side in almost everything, but here she was, subtly taking his side. He really liked this girl.
"Hey, Nabiki." Naru had come back after showing Ryoga where his room was. "You going to take any bets on tomorrow's fight?"
"No. Everyone will be betting on Ranma, and Ranma will most likely win." Nabiki sighed. "If only."
"He won't win." Naru said. "I know him. However." She smiled. "I wanted to make a bet with you on something else."
"What?" Nabiki was intrigued.
Naru told her. Nabiki clapped her hands with glee. This was going to be an easy win. Even Ranma wasn't that stupid.
Akane lay on her bed, studying. Naru walked in. Akane looked up.
"That was pretty clever, what you did to Ranma. Tell me, was that challenge staged?"
"Huh, the challenge? Oh no. That was real. I just took advantage of it." Naru seemed distracted.
"Well, I hope the other guy wins. It will serve Ranma right." Naru saw that there was no conviction behind those words.
"He most likely won't, unless Ranma gets careless."
"You know him." Akane asked excitedly.
"Hmm, you could say that." Naru grinned. "I'm going to tell you a secret Akane, but don't you dare tell anyone else. At least, not yet."