Ukyo took a few practice swings with her battle spatula as she readied
herself to fight her first opponent. Her mind was focused on the task ahead
of her, on winning this fight so she could face against Ranma. She knew
he'd be able to defeat his opponents and she'd face him. *But what then?*
She wondered. Her father wanted her to marry the pigtailed martial artist
regardless of her feelings.
The girl turned to her teammates and she could see the fierce scowl on her father's face. He was determined to have her marry Genma's son, regardless of the consequences.
Next to Haruka stood Jubei, the younger of the two brothers, with a calm expression on his face. His demeanor was so radically different from her father's that she had trouble picturing them as relatives, much less brothers. Jubei practiced the family art as well, but he wasn't the heir of the style. *Though he's the most skilled of them both.* She thought remembering how surprised she was at seeing the true potential of a martial art that she loved with all her heart, but had considered it to be less effective than others like the Anything Goes. *And I've never seen him angry.* Haruka's daughter said to herself. Even if the fights got out of hand he would keep a cool head on his shoulders and win in the end, much like Ranma did.
*Enough of that.* Ukyo snapped at herself after noticing that her thoughts trailed to Ranma once again. *I'll deal with Ranma in our match.* Shaking her head she turned to regard her opponent, who was cracking his knuckles with a smirk on his face. The blonde man was tall, easily towering over her, and probably weighted twice as much as she did. *Too bad for him.* She thought with a small smile as she wondered just how slow he would move. "I'm Kuonji Ukyo." She said as she assumed a fighting stance. "Good luck."
The man snorted in a dismissive matter as he fell into his battle stance, he stood straight with most of his weight on his right leg. "Rugal Bernstein." He said.
The fighters as a whole stood in silence as the first match of the tournament begun. What would lead to many more fights was just started.
At an unspoken signal both Ukyo and Rugal moved. The former took out a small spatula and threw it at her opponent to test his reflexes. The later rushed forward and completely ignored the small weapon as it cut into his chest.
Ukyo's eyes widened in shock when what happened registered in her mind. Rugal was already inside her defenses and she had yet to recover from her throw. She never expected for someone to simply ignore her attack, much less move so fast she couldn't recover in time.
Rugal ignored the pain caused by the thrown weapon and reached forward with his left hand. With it he took a firm hold of Ukyo's head and, just before she could react, used his superior strength to pull her down.
Ukyo's world exploded in pain when Rugal smashed a knee into her nose, easily breaking it with the violence behind the attack. She staggered back, the world spinning out of control through a red haze, and therefore wasn't ready to defend herself from her opponent's follow-up.
Rugal cocked a fist back and with all his might threw a punch with his entire body's momentum, utterly demolishing Ukyo's jaw and throwing her back and out of the platform.
The girl landed in an unconscious heap, her blood-covered face obscured by her brown hair.
The silence that followed as Rugal removed the small spatula from his chest was deafening, only to be interrupted as he threw the small weapon away and it clattered on the floor. "Pathetic."
-----
"Ukyo!" Akane cried as she saw the chef brutally beaten, her face covered in blood. Ignoring everyone else she ran to her rival's side and knelt next to her. Even if they weren't the closes of friends they'd helped each other over the time they knew each other. She removed chestnut hair to reveal two nasty bruises forming. One on and around the nose, the other on the left side of her jaw. She was still breathing, which was a relief in itself after seeing that monster nearly cave her face in, but needed a doctor.
"Get away from my daughter." An angry male voice was heard and Akane looked up to regard Kuonji Haruka glaring at her.
Akane glared right back, not at all intimidated. "She needs help."
"That's what the doctors are here for, girl." Haruka growled out. He knew who the girl in front of him was, and he had every intention of dealing with her before the tournament was over. The last comment wasn't meant to be said out loud, though.
"What?" Akane jumped to her feet and stared at Ukyo's father defiantly, daring him to even attempt anything.
"That is enough." A commanding voice stated and they both turned to see Geese standing a few feet away. "Save it for the fights."
Akane turned all around and saw everyone was staring at both Haruka and her strangely. She humped and walked to rejoin her team, but not before leveling one last glare at Haruka and making sure the medical team was already attending Ukyo.
Geese chuckled when he saw Haruka barely contain himself from attacking Akane. *Too bad he won't get a shot at the little girl. It could become interesting.* He thought as he returned to his side of the platform.
Jubei ignored all that happened and stared at Rugal seriously. *He's unbelievably strong. Ukyo can take some punishment and he took her down with little effort.* Haruka's younger brother knew Rugal held back, otherwise his niece would be dead instead of only unconscious.
Rugal felt something and turned to find the girl's teammate staring intently at him. He smirked slightly when he assessed the man. *It seems like this might be a challenge. At the very least he'll put up a decent fight.*
The staring match ended when Haruka jumped to the platform, an angry scowl marring his features. "Haruka, wait!" Jubei called out, intent on fighting instead of his brother.
"Save it, Jubei!" The eldest brother snapped. "We need to get done with this fight, there's more important things to do than waste time like Ukyo did."
Jubei glared at his brother's back. How could Haruka be so callous? Ukyo was hurt and all he could do was blame her for losing to a better fighter? "But..."
"I said SAVE IT!" Haruka bellowed as he whipped his spatula in front of him, assuming the same battle stance Ukyo used just minutes prior.
The youngest of the Kuonji brothers was taken aback. Haruka never spoke to him like that. But instead of getting angry he got worried. As angry as his brother was he would make many mistakes in a fight. He turned his eyes back to regard Rugal again. *And that man doesn't need more than one to finish this.*
-----
Ranma watched the entire exchange with a scowl on his face. *That idiot!* He thought angrily. As a father he couldn't fathom how someone could so easily dismiss his own daughter like that. The fact that it was Ukyo just made it worse. Even if Ranma made it quite clear that he didn't want to see her again he still felt she deserved better. He was glad Rugal would be Haruka's opponent. He would beat the man up without a hint of compassion.
By his side the others watched the exchange with interest. None of them were emotionally involved like Ranma, but they all recognized a weakness in the Kuonji and Anything Goes teams. At least in Haruka and Akane. The both of them were highly emotional, something that if well exploited meant an easy victory.
-----
Rugal chuckled. The man in front of him was so angry he was barely controlling himself from attacking recklessly. *This is going to be too easy.* He thought to himself.
"What are you laughing at?" Haruka demanded angrily.
The blonde fighter smirked mockingly. "Your stupidity in thinking you can defeat me."
Rugal got the response he wanted. Instead of talking further, Haruka launched himself at his opponent.
-----
On the sidelines Jubei winced when he heard Rugal's words. *A reckless attack.* He thought, inwardly congratulating Rugal for his victory even before they exchanged a single blow.
-----
Haruka lashed out with a downward slash, the air screaming in protest as his battle spatula approached the infuriating blonde fighter.
Rugal stepped to the side, almost casually avoiding the clumsy attack. He ducked under the return slash, his smirk widening as he could already smell victory.
Haruka growled when he noticed the mocking smile on his opponent's face and delivered a third strike, but this time the result was different. Instead of dodging again, Rugal lashed out with a hand and caught the spatula near the handle with an iron grip. Haruka's eyes widened as he pulled with all his strength, but found his efforts wasted when the air was forced out of his lungs. He lost his grip on his main weapon and rolled on the ground to land in a crouching position, his left hand clutching the spot where Rugal kicked him.
Rugal chuckled as he threw the silly weapon outside the platform. "I've faced many opponents during my life. You've been the easiest fight I've had yet."
"What?!" Haruka snapped angrily as he jumped to his feet.
The blonde man continued as if he didn't hear the question. "Your emotions were so out of control before the fight started that you'd have lost even if I didn't egg you on. I don't know what you're so angry about, but that anger made you lose the fight even before it started." He rushed forward and before Haruka could so much as blink he was sent flying out of the platform. He landed close to the spot Ukyo did before the medical staff took her away. *I doubt he'll learn anything form what I said, but let it sink in as he's unconscious.*
The fighters remained silent. All of them, even the more stubborn, realized Rugal was trying to make a point out of the fight against Haruka.
Krauser and Rugal exchanged glances and the German noble nodded to his teammate.
Rugal wanted all the fighters to focus on the fight instead of their personal goals. He humiliated Haruka as a way to get his point across, that if any of them was out of focus he or she would be easily dealt with.
-----
Jubei watched with a sigh as the medical staff took Haruka's beaten form away. *He's out after two blows.* He thought as he turned to Rugal again, and this time appraised the huge man as more than a simple fighter. He realized just then and there, as he turned all around to regard the rest of the participants, that most of the fighters knew what if meant to dedicate oneself to the fight. Some were still obviously unfocused, particularly the woman with the wings and the man with the moustache and the black gi on. But even they could see what Rugal wanted to prove.
The youngest of the Kuonji brothers jumped to the platform and regarded Rugal with even more respect than before. "Kuonji Jubei." He presented himself as he cracked his neck a few times and fell into a loose stance, his own battle spatula at the ready.
He knew he was badly outmatched. He also knew he'd most likely leave the platform in a stretcher.
He couldn't help himself. He smiled excitedly at the prospect of fighting an opponent that outclassed him by such a wide margin.
-----
Rugal raised an eyebrow as he caught sight of Jubei's smile. It was the very same one most of them sported when facing against 'him.' He inwardly chuckled at the thought. *We outclass the fighters of this world just as he outclasses us.* He could relate with Jubei right now. As much as he hated the man he always looked forward to facing against him again. Too bad tournaments were only once a year. During the tournament was the only time he fought just for the pleasure of fighting. Every other time he was after something.
Shaking himself out of those thoughts he smirked again and assumed a fighting stance. "Rugal Bernstein. Remember that name."
Jubei's eyes narrowed. "I will." And with that he launched his attack.
Rugal barely had enough time to raise his left arm to block, the downward slash coming much faster than with his previous opponents. Jubei had closed the distance between them incredibly fast and attacked in the same manner Haruka did, but there was a difference. The attack came much faster, and the man didn't completely drop his defenses to land it.
Jubei jumped back and out of the way of a sidekick. He landed easily into his stance. *He's strong.* He was taken out of his thoughts as he suddenly found himself on the defensive. The first attack he blocked told him in no uncertain terms he wouldn't be able to hold his ground. He quickly jumped back and tried to avoid as many blows as he could, only blocking when there was no other choice.
Rugal was slowly increasing the tempo of his attacks as a way to test his opponent's skill. So far he wasn't disappointed. He chased after Jubei with simple punches and kicks, not wanting to start using his special techniques yet. The fight was still on a pure physical level, better to let it stay that way.
-----
Ranma was impressed. He didn't expect for someone from this world outside of Herb to be able to hold his own against Rugal. Sure, everyone had a lot of potential, but most of it was still dormant. *He'd be able to fight me before I left this world.* Jubei, unlike Ukyo, seemed to be a better all around fighter. His childhood friend was good, but relied too much on her tools to fight for her. Jubei, on the other hand, seemed to implement his battle spatula into his way of fighting.
His eyes widened slightly when he caught the sight of blood.
-----
Rugal jumped back and stared at his right forearm. It was a small cut, but his opponent had gotten first blood nonetheless. He narrowed his eyes and turned to regard the chef. In his left hand he held a small spatula, much like the one the girl had attacked him with. Only that instead of launching it he used it on close-quarters.
Jubei took deep breaths to try and recover from the fast-paced fight. He was forced to take out a second weapon to defend himself, since some of Rugal's blows were starting to get through his battle spatula. He didn't want to reveal the fact that he usually fought with two weapons so early in the tournament, but if he didn't do something he'd be out of the fight. "You're very strong." He praised trying to sound confident and relaxed. Hopefully that would earn him some more precious seconds of rest.
Rugal smirked, having seen through the man, but didn't attack. He wanted to see what else this man could do before he defeated him. "You're not too weak."
Jubei chuckled at the taunt. "But I've noticed something about your fighting style."
"Oh?" Rugal raised an eyebrow, genuinely curious.
Jubei tensed as he assumed a lower stance. "You haven't left the ground yet!" And with that Haruka's brother jumped several feet up and reached into his clothes.
Rugal looked up and his eyes widened when he saw dozens of small glowing objects falling towards him. *Damn it* He cursed inwardly as he crossed his arms in front of him to protect himself. He couldn't take the risk of jumping to evade the approaching objects. It could be a trap and Jubei would be waiting to kick him outside the platform.
-----
Everyone saw as Rugal was bombarded with small bombs that decimated the area where he was standing. The fighters from Nerima recognized them as flour bombs, but something was different about them. It was the use of chi to charge them and make them more destructive.
Genma's eyes widened as he thanked whatever Kami was listening that he deceived Haruka instead of Jubei. He was certain he could take Ukyo's father down easily, but seeing the skill Jubei displayed he wasn't so certain about victory. *Maybe with the forbidden techniques.*
-----
When the explosions were over Rugal angrily lowered his arms and looked all around for signs of his opponent. *That HURT!!!* He angrily bellowed inside his head as he waited for the dust cloud to dissipate. He wasn't expecting a blow to the back of his knees, though.
Jubei took advantage of the dust cloud to rush in and attack before his opponent could see him. Those bombs, even if powerful, where nowhere near enough to drop someone as strong as Rugal seemed to be. *Got you.* He thought when he felt his battle spatula hit someone and heart a grunt. Spinning on himself he added his momentum to a blow with the handle of the spatula, striking Rugal in the back between the shoulder blades. It was a hit meant to paralyze the arms.
Rugal rolled with the fall and just barely avoided falling from the platform and down the cliff. He winced when he tried to move his right arm. He turned his attention to Jubei, who was walking towards him with that damn spatula. "You'll pay for that." He promised as he stood to his full height.
Jubei eyes his opponent carefully and noticed the way he seemed to lean over his right side. *Obviously from that last attack.* He thought as he wondered what to use now. A sudden burst of energy shocked him.
-----
Krauser was pleasantry surprised to see the match had lasted so long. Since coming to this world he hadn't seen a decent fighter. But now in this tournament a complete stranger was giving Rugal Bernstein a good fight. He wondered who else from among the unknown fighters would surprise him again, and if he would be the one to face him.
-----
Rugal flexed his back and threw a few punches to the air just to make sure his arms were fully functional. Once he charged his chi he felt all the small jolts of pain he felt vanish as he let his life energy flow and empower him. Cracking his knuckles he gave Jubei a look of respect. "Train hard for next year." Was all he said before he rushed in for the kill.
After that it took only two minutes for Rugal to beat Jubei into unconsciousness. As fast and tricky as the Kuonji man was he was no match for Rugal's special techniques.
"GENOCIDE CUTTER!"
Jubei's unconscious and beaten form landed in the middle of the platform. Rugal chuckled and started walking towards his corner. He really enjoyed the fight.
-----
"What do you mean the fourth match is next?" Akane demanded after Geese told them to enter the platform.
The blonde man sighed as Genma and Soun backed the girl up. He pointed towards a board. "As you can see the matches are divided into two blocks. Matches one, two and three are part of the first block while the others are in the second one. The fights must alternate between blocks." He explained like he would to a five-year-old.
This didn't calm Akane, Soun and Genma down, but they all turned to regard Krauser as he approached. "What seems to be the problem? Even if the order of the matches isn't what you expect you still have to fight." He turned towards the platform, a small smile gracing his features. "Besides, your first opponent is ready and waiting."
Up on the platform stood the ten-year-old girl. She was stretching for the upcoming match with an enthusiastic smile on her face.
Soun and Genma were intimidated by the huge man. Geese looked strong and dangerous, but Krauser's mere sight spoke of power. When they turned towards the little girl and what they assumed were her parents they decided it would be safer to just play along.
Akane turned towards the girl and her features softened. *I can't believe I'm supposed to fight that little girl.* Hopefully she'd be able to defeat her without hurting her. She smiled when she jumped to the platform with ease. "Hi, my name is Akane." She greeted the little girl with a friendly smile and offered her hand.
"Hi!" The girl said as she reached forward to shake Akane's hand. "I'm Kimi." She said with obvious pride.
-----
A soft smile appeared on Ranma's face when he saw Akane and Kimi exchange greetings. It reminded him of his first meeting with the youngest Tendo. That went bad when she found out he was a boy, but he could hardly fault her for that. Knowing all the trouble she was going through at school it was understandable.
Hopefully Akane wouldn't react the same way she did in that first sparring match. Kimi's parents wouldn't take lightly to someone trying to really hurt their daughter. Even if she usually participated in the tournaments with her parents the little girl was still that, a little girl. She didn't understand some of her opponents fought to hurt instead of enjoy a good match.
-----
Akane bowed slightly to her opponent and assumed a relaxed stance. She smiled again when Kimi mimicked her before falling into what appeared to be a hybrid stance between Karate and Wu-shu. She raised an eyebrow and further studied the little girl.
At first glance she appeared to be Japanese, but on closer inspection she was obviously only half-Japanese. Turning towards the girl's teammates she found that the woman was Chinese. That only confirmed her assumption that they were Kimi's parents. She decided to finish this fight as quickly as possible to have a talk with the girl's parents. *How can they risk their daughter? She could really get hurt fighting like this.*
With that in mind Akane moved.
Kimi found herself being thrown over Akane's shoulder before she could react. Her eyes widened, since by the way Akane walked she didn't appear to be someone so swift on her feet.
Akane, recovering from her throw, watched with some shame as Kimi flew towards the edge of the platform. The girl would hit the ground and roll outside. She'd probably have a small bruise after this, but it would fade in a couple of days.
When Kimi flipped in midair and landed lightly on her feet just inches from the edge Akane's jaw dropped. That was something she expected from Ranma, not a little girl.
Kimi turned seriously towards Akane and rushed the still surprised girl.
Akane found herself sidestepping a kick and jumped back from a sweep. Both attacks were perfectly executed and she knew that if it wasn't for the Densetsu no Doogi she'd be on the floor now, instead of charging the girl to start exchanging blows. *She's very good!* She thought frantically as most of her attacks were avoided.
-----
Geese turned to Ranma as the fight continued, with Kimi losing ground as she continued on dodging. She didn't have the endurance to block so many blows. "That Tendo girl isn't that fast. What's going on, girl?"
Ranma continued watching the fight as he answered. "Akane is wearing the Densetsu no Doogi. That thing brings out her true potential as if she trained seriously for decades."
Geese turned back to the fight and noticed Kimi was being cornered by an increasingly more frustrated Akane. Very soon the girl would have nowhere to dodge. "Serves the cheating bitch right." He sneered. "This tournament isn't for false warriors." Even if Kimi didn't manage to defeat her, something Geese hoped she would, then her parents would. It was ironic that Akane would face against the strongest team in her first match.
Ranma didn't like the way Geese referred to Akane, but he couldn't find it in his heart to argue the point. Using that magical thing was, indeed, cheating.
-----
Akane let a small smile form on her lips as she cornered the elusive child. They way she danced around her attacks, even if she was forced to block a lot of them, reminded her of Ranma when all he did was dodge instead of taking her seriously. With a battle cry she let loose with a front kick that would send Kimi flying out of the platform even if she blocked. There was nowhere else to go but outside.
That was why she could never match the old Ranma in martial arts. It was the way she placed limitations to herself and others on what could be done to win a fight. Akane didn't expect for Kimi to escape by jumping up and over her. The little girl was cornered alright, but she was thinking in three dimensions instead of just two.
Kimi landed on her feet and back flipped to gain some more breathing room. Akane was very strong and all that dodging and blocking was tiring her out. She knew she had the skill advantage, but she was outclassed in speed and strength. Her escape from the corner gave her an idea, though. When Akane came charging in again she decided to see if her assumption was correct.
Akane turned in disbelief to stare at the little girl as she landed from her jump and gracefully executed a perfect back flip. A little voice in her head was telling her she wasn't good enough to defeat a little girl, even cheating like she was, but she crushed it almost as soon as it appeared and rushed towards Kimi with the intent to win the fight. Even if Kimi was good she was still a child. Akane was the best martial artist in Nerima, more so now that she was wearing the Densetsu no Doogi. She'd show Ranma... She'd show everyone that not taking Tendo Akane seriously was a mistake!
-----
Soun frowned at the spectacle. "What's the meaning of this?" He muttered as Akane again failed to land a blow on the elusive girl, who kept on doing acrobatic stunts all around the platform. "Has the magic from the Doogi worn off?" He asked no one in particular. The fight should've been easy, instead of that Akane was having trouble even tagging that impure child.
By his side Genma frowned as well. *If this girl is good enough to take out Akane right now...* He turned to the girl's teammates. *...then those two must be very skilled.* Saotome Genma might be many things, but he was also the martial artist that trained his son to be the best of his generation. He knew the girl's parents must be very good, and since Soun was all but useless in a real fight it seemed like he would have to defeat all three opponents. *Something I might not be able to do.*
Without resorting to the forbidden techniques, that is. He'd come to this tournament with the idea of using them to bring Ranma back under his control. He never expected to have to use them on a child, though.
-----
"STAND STILL!!! DAMN YOU!!!" Akane bellowed as Kimi once again jumped out of range, landing gracefully into her battle stance. Akane was breathing heavily, not out of exhaustion but out of rage. Turning around she could see Kimi stare at her in confusion.
"Why would I let you hit me? This is a fight." The girl said.
As it turned out it was the wrong thing to say. With a battle cry Akane charged again, but this time she jumped to meet Kimi in midair.
The little girl's strategy so far had been to stay out of range, only landing one or two attacks before jumping away. She wasn't surprised when Akane met her in midair, but she was indeed surprised to see Akane's skill almost disappear once her feet left the ground.
In truth the Densetsu no Doogi brought out the potential of martial artists. But that potential was nothing more than an enhancement of the skills the person already possessed. Akane was a very good martial artist, but the Tendo school of Anything Goes Martial Arts was not an aerial one. So that's why she found herself outmatched so badly that Kimi landed several attacks.
Both landed on their feet, but Akane landed outside the platform. She stared at her feet silently, too shocked to be angry. "I lost?" She whispered.
-----
Kimi approached the other girl and smiled brightly at her. "That was a lot of fun. You're very good." And with that she extended her hand towards Akane.
The Tendo girl took the hand out of shock. She stared at the small form of the child and wondered how one so young could be this good.
The little girl let go of Akane's hand and rushed excitedly to her mother's side. "Did you see that, mommy? She's very strong!"
As the girl continued excitedly talking to her mother Akane turned around and walked towards her father. On the way she heard a conversation that further shocked her world.
-----
Shingo shook his head and sighed. "Man! I can't believe she's only ten. She's a lot better than last year."
Terry smiled. "What can you expect, though? She knows nothing but being on the road with her parents, always training for the next challenge." He knew many would consider that kind of life to be unacceptable. He himself couldn't live like that since he settled down.
-----
Those few words not meant for her made Akane miss everything else as she walked away from the platform and towards the building. She had a lot of thinking to do.
That was why she missed the way Genma defeated Kimi, in the process enraging everyone watching.
-----
Her blood boiled as she saw her daughter walk towards her with her usual cheerfulness, not realizing just how close she came to being cut in half. Seeing that man, Saotome Genma, throw an attack meant to kill at her daughter as a distraction to kick her out of the platform was too much for anyone.
She took a step forward but stopped when she felt a hand take hold of her shoulder. "Let me do this." She said already knowing he wouldn't relent. When he didn't remove his hand she was the one to relent. With a sigh she turned to gaze at his burning red eyes. "Try not to kill him, love." She knew how much control he had over his emotions, yet it was their daughter who almost got killed.
He nodded silently and stepped forward and up to the platform, with Genma waiting already in a ready stance.
The woman left behind suddenly found herself hugged around the waist and smiled down at her daughter. "You did well, Kimi-chan." She praised.
She then turned to see Saotome Genma face against the strongest fighter of all time. The only person she knew with the potential to become even better was their daughter, but for that to happen a lot of time and training was still needed. And even then it wasn't a sure thing.
He was just that strong.
-----
Genma studied the man walking towards him carefully. His steps were sure and his muscled frame spoke of power. Red eyes stared hard at him, but he didn't let that intimidate him. He'd seen far more scary things in his life. He saw the man assume a fighting stance and cup his hands to his side. *The same tactic should work.* He thought as he prepared another vacuum blade.
The man stared hard at Genma as he concentrated to gather a small amount of chi into his hands. Too much would kill Genma.
Ranma's biological father cocked his right hand back, ready to deliver an attack and follow it to hit the man out of the platform. He was sure he'd dodge after recognizing just how lethal his techniques were.
Their gis suddenly fluttered with the wind, a signal for the fight to begin.
"KIJIN RAISHUUDAN!!!"
"HADOKEN!!!"
End Part 23
Author's Notes: Well, this chapter definitely answers the question about who 'he' is. And the mother of his daughter as well. If you're wondering about the order of the matches and the thing about the blocks, think about it. There are 12 teams, so there's no way they all fight in all the elimination rounds. Two teams will have a chance to rest during the second round.
Anyway, with this done I'm back to working on the other fics. I'll work on whatever comes easier right now. Who knows? I could write the next chapter of this one first.
The girl turned to her teammates and she could see the fierce scowl on her father's face. He was determined to have her marry Genma's son, regardless of the consequences.
Next to Haruka stood Jubei, the younger of the two brothers, with a calm expression on his face. His demeanor was so radically different from her father's that she had trouble picturing them as relatives, much less brothers. Jubei practiced the family art as well, but he wasn't the heir of the style. *Though he's the most skilled of them both.* She thought remembering how surprised she was at seeing the true potential of a martial art that she loved with all her heart, but had considered it to be less effective than others like the Anything Goes. *And I've never seen him angry.* Haruka's daughter said to herself. Even if the fights got out of hand he would keep a cool head on his shoulders and win in the end, much like Ranma did.
*Enough of that.* Ukyo snapped at herself after noticing that her thoughts trailed to Ranma once again. *I'll deal with Ranma in our match.* Shaking her head she turned to regard her opponent, who was cracking his knuckles with a smirk on his face. The blonde man was tall, easily towering over her, and probably weighted twice as much as she did. *Too bad for him.* She thought with a small smile as she wondered just how slow he would move. "I'm Kuonji Ukyo." She said as she assumed a fighting stance. "Good luck."
The man snorted in a dismissive matter as he fell into his battle stance, he stood straight with most of his weight on his right leg. "Rugal Bernstein." He said.
The fighters as a whole stood in silence as the first match of the tournament begun. What would lead to many more fights was just started.
At an unspoken signal both Ukyo and Rugal moved. The former took out a small spatula and threw it at her opponent to test his reflexes. The later rushed forward and completely ignored the small weapon as it cut into his chest.
Ukyo's eyes widened in shock when what happened registered in her mind. Rugal was already inside her defenses and she had yet to recover from her throw. She never expected for someone to simply ignore her attack, much less move so fast she couldn't recover in time.
Rugal ignored the pain caused by the thrown weapon and reached forward with his left hand. With it he took a firm hold of Ukyo's head and, just before she could react, used his superior strength to pull her down.
Ukyo's world exploded in pain when Rugal smashed a knee into her nose, easily breaking it with the violence behind the attack. She staggered back, the world spinning out of control through a red haze, and therefore wasn't ready to defend herself from her opponent's follow-up.
Rugal cocked a fist back and with all his might threw a punch with his entire body's momentum, utterly demolishing Ukyo's jaw and throwing her back and out of the platform.
The girl landed in an unconscious heap, her blood-covered face obscured by her brown hair.
The silence that followed as Rugal removed the small spatula from his chest was deafening, only to be interrupted as he threw the small weapon away and it clattered on the floor. "Pathetic."
-----
"Ukyo!" Akane cried as she saw the chef brutally beaten, her face covered in blood. Ignoring everyone else she ran to her rival's side and knelt next to her. Even if they weren't the closes of friends they'd helped each other over the time they knew each other. She removed chestnut hair to reveal two nasty bruises forming. One on and around the nose, the other on the left side of her jaw. She was still breathing, which was a relief in itself after seeing that monster nearly cave her face in, but needed a doctor.
"Get away from my daughter." An angry male voice was heard and Akane looked up to regard Kuonji Haruka glaring at her.
Akane glared right back, not at all intimidated. "She needs help."
"That's what the doctors are here for, girl." Haruka growled out. He knew who the girl in front of him was, and he had every intention of dealing with her before the tournament was over. The last comment wasn't meant to be said out loud, though.
"What?" Akane jumped to her feet and stared at Ukyo's father defiantly, daring him to even attempt anything.
"That is enough." A commanding voice stated and they both turned to see Geese standing a few feet away. "Save it for the fights."
Akane turned all around and saw everyone was staring at both Haruka and her strangely. She humped and walked to rejoin her team, but not before leveling one last glare at Haruka and making sure the medical team was already attending Ukyo.
Geese chuckled when he saw Haruka barely contain himself from attacking Akane. *Too bad he won't get a shot at the little girl. It could become interesting.* He thought as he returned to his side of the platform.
Jubei ignored all that happened and stared at Rugal seriously. *He's unbelievably strong. Ukyo can take some punishment and he took her down with little effort.* Haruka's younger brother knew Rugal held back, otherwise his niece would be dead instead of only unconscious.
Rugal felt something and turned to find the girl's teammate staring intently at him. He smirked slightly when he assessed the man. *It seems like this might be a challenge. At the very least he'll put up a decent fight.*
The staring match ended when Haruka jumped to the platform, an angry scowl marring his features. "Haruka, wait!" Jubei called out, intent on fighting instead of his brother.
"Save it, Jubei!" The eldest brother snapped. "We need to get done with this fight, there's more important things to do than waste time like Ukyo did."
Jubei glared at his brother's back. How could Haruka be so callous? Ukyo was hurt and all he could do was blame her for losing to a better fighter? "But..."
"I said SAVE IT!" Haruka bellowed as he whipped his spatula in front of him, assuming the same battle stance Ukyo used just minutes prior.
The youngest of the Kuonji brothers was taken aback. Haruka never spoke to him like that. But instead of getting angry he got worried. As angry as his brother was he would make many mistakes in a fight. He turned his eyes back to regard Rugal again. *And that man doesn't need more than one to finish this.*
-----
Ranma watched the entire exchange with a scowl on his face. *That idiot!* He thought angrily. As a father he couldn't fathom how someone could so easily dismiss his own daughter like that. The fact that it was Ukyo just made it worse. Even if Ranma made it quite clear that he didn't want to see her again he still felt she deserved better. He was glad Rugal would be Haruka's opponent. He would beat the man up without a hint of compassion.
By his side the others watched the exchange with interest. None of them were emotionally involved like Ranma, but they all recognized a weakness in the Kuonji and Anything Goes teams. At least in Haruka and Akane. The both of them were highly emotional, something that if well exploited meant an easy victory.
-----
Rugal chuckled. The man in front of him was so angry he was barely controlling himself from attacking recklessly. *This is going to be too easy.* He thought to himself.
"What are you laughing at?" Haruka demanded angrily.
The blonde fighter smirked mockingly. "Your stupidity in thinking you can defeat me."
Rugal got the response he wanted. Instead of talking further, Haruka launched himself at his opponent.
-----
On the sidelines Jubei winced when he heard Rugal's words. *A reckless attack.* He thought, inwardly congratulating Rugal for his victory even before they exchanged a single blow.
-----
Haruka lashed out with a downward slash, the air screaming in protest as his battle spatula approached the infuriating blonde fighter.
Rugal stepped to the side, almost casually avoiding the clumsy attack. He ducked under the return slash, his smirk widening as he could already smell victory.
Haruka growled when he noticed the mocking smile on his opponent's face and delivered a third strike, but this time the result was different. Instead of dodging again, Rugal lashed out with a hand and caught the spatula near the handle with an iron grip. Haruka's eyes widened as he pulled with all his strength, but found his efforts wasted when the air was forced out of his lungs. He lost his grip on his main weapon and rolled on the ground to land in a crouching position, his left hand clutching the spot where Rugal kicked him.
Rugal chuckled as he threw the silly weapon outside the platform. "I've faced many opponents during my life. You've been the easiest fight I've had yet."
"What?!" Haruka snapped angrily as he jumped to his feet.
The blonde man continued as if he didn't hear the question. "Your emotions were so out of control before the fight started that you'd have lost even if I didn't egg you on. I don't know what you're so angry about, but that anger made you lose the fight even before it started." He rushed forward and before Haruka could so much as blink he was sent flying out of the platform. He landed close to the spot Ukyo did before the medical staff took her away. *I doubt he'll learn anything form what I said, but let it sink in as he's unconscious.*
The fighters remained silent. All of them, even the more stubborn, realized Rugal was trying to make a point out of the fight against Haruka.
Krauser and Rugal exchanged glances and the German noble nodded to his teammate.
Rugal wanted all the fighters to focus on the fight instead of their personal goals. He humiliated Haruka as a way to get his point across, that if any of them was out of focus he or she would be easily dealt with.
-----
Jubei watched with a sigh as the medical staff took Haruka's beaten form away. *He's out after two blows.* He thought as he turned to Rugal again, and this time appraised the huge man as more than a simple fighter. He realized just then and there, as he turned all around to regard the rest of the participants, that most of the fighters knew what if meant to dedicate oneself to the fight. Some were still obviously unfocused, particularly the woman with the wings and the man with the moustache and the black gi on. But even they could see what Rugal wanted to prove.
The youngest of the Kuonji brothers jumped to the platform and regarded Rugal with even more respect than before. "Kuonji Jubei." He presented himself as he cracked his neck a few times and fell into a loose stance, his own battle spatula at the ready.
He knew he was badly outmatched. He also knew he'd most likely leave the platform in a stretcher.
He couldn't help himself. He smiled excitedly at the prospect of fighting an opponent that outclassed him by such a wide margin.
-----
Rugal raised an eyebrow as he caught sight of Jubei's smile. It was the very same one most of them sported when facing against 'him.' He inwardly chuckled at the thought. *We outclass the fighters of this world just as he outclasses us.* He could relate with Jubei right now. As much as he hated the man he always looked forward to facing against him again. Too bad tournaments were only once a year. During the tournament was the only time he fought just for the pleasure of fighting. Every other time he was after something.
Shaking himself out of those thoughts he smirked again and assumed a fighting stance. "Rugal Bernstein. Remember that name."
Jubei's eyes narrowed. "I will." And with that he launched his attack.
Rugal barely had enough time to raise his left arm to block, the downward slash coming much faster than with his previous opponents. Jubei had closed the distance between them incredibly fast and attacked in the same manner Haruka did, but there was a difference. The attack came much faster, and the man didn't completely drop his defenses to land it.
Jubei jumped back and out of the way of a sidekick. He landed easily into his stance. *He's strong.* He was taken out of his thoughts as he suddenly found himself on the defensive. The first attack he blocked told him in no uncertain terms he wouldn't be able to hold his ground. He quickly jumped back and tried to avoid as many blows as he could, only blocking when there was no other choice.
Rugal was slowly increasing the tempo of his attacks as a way to test his opponent's skill. So far he wasn't disappointed. He chased after Jubei with simple punches and kicks, not wanting to start using his special techniques yet. The fight was still on a pure physical level, better to let it stay that way.
-----
Ranma was impressed. He didn't expect for someone from this world outside of Herb to be able to hold his own against Rugal. Sure, everyone had a lot of potential, but most of it was still dormant. *He'd be able to fight me before I left this world.* Jubei, unlike Ukyo, seemed to be a better all around fighter. His childhood friend was good, but relied too much on her tools to fight for her. Jubei, on the other hand, seemed to implement his battle spatula into his way of fighting.
His eyes widened slightly when he caught the sight of blood.
-----
Rugal jumped back and stared at his right forearm. It was a small cut, but his opponent had gotten first blood nonetheless. He narrowed his eyes and turned to regard the chef. In his left hand he held a small spatula, much like the one the girl had attacked him with. Only that instead of launching it he used it on close-quarters.
Jubei took deep breaths to try and recover from the fast-paced fight. He was forced to take out a second weapon to defend himself, since some of Rugal's blows were starting to get through his battle spatula. He didn't want to reveal the fact that he usually fought with two weapons so early in the tournament, but if he didn't do something he'd be out of the fight. "You're very strong." He praised trying to sound confident and relaxed. Hopefully that would earn him some more precious seconds of rest.
Rugal smirked, having seen through the man, but didn't attack. He wanted to see what else this man could do before he defeated him. "You're not too weak."
Jubei chuckled at the taunt. "But I've noticed something about your fighting style."
"Oh?" Rugal raised an eyebrow, genuinely curious.
Jubei tensed as he assumed a lower stance. "You haven't left the ground yet!" And with that Haruka's brother jumped several feet up and reached into his clothes.
Rugal looked up and his eyes widened when he saw dozens of small glowing objects falling towards him. *Damn it* He cursed inwardly as he crossed his arms in front of him to protect himself. He couldn't take the risk of jumping to evade the approaching objects. It could be a trap and Jubei would be waiting to kick him outside the platform.
-----
Everyone saw as Rugal was bombarded with small bombs that decimated the area where he was standing. The fighters from Nerima recognized them as flour bombs, but something was different about them. It was the use of chi to charge them and make them more destructive.
Genma's eyes widened as he thanked whatever Kami was listening that he deceived Haruka instead of Jubei. He was certain he could take Ukyo's father down easily, but seeing the skill Jubei displayed he wasn't so certain about victory. *Maybe with the forbidden techniques.*
-----
When the explosions were over Rugal angrily lowered his arms and looked all around for signs of his opponent. *That HURT!!!* He angrily bellowed inside his head as he waited for the dust cloud to dissipate. He wasn't expecting a blow to the back of his knees, though.
Jubei took advantage of the dust cloud to rush in and attack before his opponent could see him. Those bombs, even if powerful, where nowhere near enough to drop someone as strong as Rugal seemed to be. *Got you.* He thought when he felt his battle spatula hit someone and heart a grunt. Spinning on himself he added his momentum to a blow with the handle of the spatula, striking Rugal in the back between the shoulder blades. It was a hit meant to paralyze the arms.
Rugal rolled with the fall and just barely avoided falling from the platform and down the cliff. He winced when he tried to move his right arm. He turned his attention to Jubei, who was walking towards him with that damn spatula. "You'll pay for that." He promised as he stood to his full height.
Jubei eyes his opponent carefully and noticed the way he seemed to lean over his right side. *Obviously from that last attack.* He thought as he wondered what to use now. A sudden burst of energy shocked him.
-----
Krauser was pleasantry surprised to see the match had lasted so long. Since coming to this world he hadn't seen a decent fighter. But now in this tournament a complete stranger was giving Rugal Bernstein a good fight. He wondered who else from among the unknown fighters would surprise him again, and if he would be the one to face him.
-----
Rugal flexed his back and threw a few punches to the air just to make sure his arms were fully functional. Once he charged his chi he felt all the small jolts of pain he felt vanish as he let his life energy flow and empower him. Cracking his knuckles he gave Jubei a look of respect. "Train hard for next year." Was all he said before he rushed in for the kill.
After that it took only two minutes for Rugal to beat Jubei into unconsciousness. As fast and tricky as the Kuonji man was he was no match for Rugal's special techniques.
"GENOCIDE CUTTER!"
Jubei's unconscious and beaten form landed in the middle of the platform. Rugal chuckled and started walking towards his corner. He really enjoyed the fight.
-----
"What do you mean the fourth match is next?" Akane demanded after Geese told them to enter the platform.
The blonde man sighed as Genma and Soun backed the girl up. He pointed towards a board. "As you can see the matches are divided into two blocks. Matches one, two and three are part of the first block while the others are in the second one. The fights must alternate between blocks." He explained like he would to a five-year-old.
This didn't calm Akane, Soun and Genma down, but they all turned to regard Krauser as he approached. "What seems to be the problem? Even if the order of the matches isn't what you expect you still have to fight." He turned towards the platform, a small smile gracing his features. "Besides, your first opponent is ready and waiting."
Up on the platform stood the ten-year-old girl. She was stretching for the upcoming match with an enthusiastic smile on her face.
Soun and Genma were intimidated by the huge man. Geese looked strong and dangerous, but Krauser's mere sight spoke of power. When they turned towards the little girl and what they assumed were her parents they decided it would be safer to just play along.
Akane turned towards the girl and her features softened. *I can't believe I'm supposed to fight that little girl.* Hopefully she'd be able to defeat her without hurting her. She smiled when she jumped to the platform with ease. "Hi, my name is Akane." She greeted the little girl with a friendly smile and offered her hand.
"Hi!" The girl said as she reached forward to shake Akane's hand. "I'm Kimi." She said with obvious pride.
-----
A soft smile appeared on Ranma's face when he saw Akane and Kimi exchange greetings. It reminded him of his first meeting with the youngest Tendo. That went bad when she found out he was a boy, but he could hardly fault her for that. Knowing all the trouble she was going through at school it was understandable.
Hopefully Akane wouldn't react the same way she did in that first sparring match. Kimi's parents wouldn't take lightly to someone trying to really hurt their daughter. Even if she usually participated in the tournaments with her parents the little girl was still that, a little girl. She didn't understand some of her opponents fought to hurt instead of enjoy a good match.
-----
Akane bowed slightly to her opponent and assumed a relaxed stance. She smiled again when Kimi mimicked her before falling into what appeared to be a hybrid stance between Karate and Wu-shu. She raised an eyebrow and further studied the little girl.
At first glance she appeared to be Japanese, but on closer inspection she was obviously only half-Japanese. Turning towards the girl's teammates she found that the woman was Chinese. That only confirmed her assumption that they were Kimi's parents. She decided to finish this fight as quickly as possible to have a talk with the girl's parents. *How can they risk their daughter? She could really get hurt fighting like this.*
With that in mind Akane moved.
Kimi found herself being thrown over Akane's shoulder before she could react. Her eyes widened, since by the way Akane walked she didn't appear to be someone so swift on her feet.
Akane, recovering from her throw, watched with some shame as Kimi flew towards the edge of the platform. The girl would hit the ground and roll outside. She'd probably have a small bruise after this, but it would fade in a couple of days.
When Kimi flipped in midair and landed lightly on her feet just inches from the edge Akane's jaw dropped. That was something she expected from Ranma, not a little girl.
Kimi turned seriously towards Akane and rushed the still surprised girl.
Akane found herself sidestepping a kick and jumped back from a sweep. Both attacks were perfectly executed and she knew that if it wasn't for the Densetsu no Doogi she'd be on the floor now, instead of charging the girl to start exchanging blows. *She's very good!* She thought frantically as most of her attacks were avoided.
-----
Geese turned to Ranma as the fight continued, with Kimi losing ground as she continued on dodging. She didn't have the endurance to block so many blows. "That Tendo girl isn't that fast. What's going on, girl?"
Ranma continued watching the fight as he answered. "Akane is wearing the Densetsu no Doogi. That thing brings out her true potential as if she trained seriously for decades."
Geese turned back to the fight and noticed Kimi was being cornered by an increasingly more frustrated Akane. Very soon the girl would have nowhere to dodge. "Serves the cheating bitch right." He sneered. "This tournament isn't for false warriors." Even if Kimi didn't manage to defeat her, something Geese hoped she would, then her parents would. It was ironic that Akane would face against the strongest team in her first match.
Ranma didn't like the way Geese referred to Akane, but he couldn't find it in his heart to argue the point. Using that magical thing was, indeed, cheating.
-----
Akane let a small smile form on her lips as she cornered the elusive child. They way she danced around her attacks, even if she was forced to block a lot of them, reminded her of Ranma when all he did was dodge instead of taking her seriously. With a battle cry she let loose with a front kick that would send Kimi flying out of the platform even if she blocked. There was nowhere else to go but outside.
That was why she could never match the old Ranma in martial arts. It was the way she placed limitations to herself and others on what could be done to win a fight. Akane didn't expect for Kimi to escape by jumping up and over her. The little girl was cornered alright, but she was thinking in three dimensions instead of just two.
Kimi landed on her feet and back flipped to gain some more breathing room. Akane was very strong and all that dodging and blocking was tiring her out. She knew she had the skill advantage, but she was outclassed in speed and strength. Her escape from the corner gave her an idea, though. When Akane came charging in again she decided to see if her assumption was correct.
Akane turned in disbelief to stare at the little girl as she landed from her jump and gracefully executed a perfect back flip. A little voice in her head was telling her she wasn't good enough to defeat a little girl, even cheating like she was, but she crushed it almost as soon as it appeared and rushed towards Kimi with the intent to win the fight. Even if Kimi was good she was still a child. Akane was the best martial artist in Nerima, more so now that she was wearing the Densetsu no Doogi. She'd show Ranma... She'd show everyone that not taking Tendo Akane seriously was a mistake!
-----
Soun frowned at the spectacle. "What's the meaning of this?" He muttered as Akane again failed to land a blow on the elusive girl, who kept on doing acrobatic stunts all around the platform. "Has the magic from the Doogi worn off?" He asked no one in particular. The fight should've been easy, instead of that Akane was having trouble even tagging that impure child.
By his side Genma frowned as well. *If this girl is good enough to take out Akane right now...* He turned to the girl's teammates. *...then those two must be very skilled.* Saotome Genma might be many things, but he was also the martial artist that trained his son to be the best of his generation. He knew the girl's parents must be very good, and since Soun was all but useless in a real fight it seemed like he would have to defeat all three opponents. *Something I might not be able to do.*
Without resorting to the forbidden techniques, that is. He'd come to this tournament with the idea of using them to bring Ranma back under his control. He never expected to have to use them on a child, though.
-----
"STAND STILL!!! DAMN YOU!!!" Akane bellowed as Kimi once again jumped out of range, landing gracefully into her battle stance. Akane was breathing heavily, not out of exhaustion but out of rage. Turning around she could see Kimi stare at her in confusion.
"Why would I let you hit me? This is a fight." The girl said.
As it turned out it was the wrong thing to say. With a battle cry Akane charged again, but this time she jumped to meet Kimi in midair.
The little girl's strategy so far had been to stay out of range, only landing one or two attacks before jumping away. She wasn't surprised when Akane met her in midair, but she was indeed surprised to see Akane's skill almost disappear once her feet left the ground.
In truth the Densetsu no Doogi brought out the potential of martial artists. But that potential was nothing more than an enhancement of the skills the person already possessed. Akane was a very good martial artist, but the Tendo school of Anything Goes Martial Arts was not an aerial one. So that's why she found herself outmatched so badly that Kimi landed several attacks.
Both landed on their feet, but Akane landed outside the platform. She stared at her feet silently, too shocked to be angry. "I lost?" She whispered.
-----
Kimi approached the other girl and smiled brightly at her. "That was a lot of fun. You're very good." And with that she extended her hand towards Akane.
The Tendo girl took the hand out of shock. She stared at the small form of the child and wondered how one so young could be this good.
The little girl let go of Akane's hand and rushed excitedly to her mother's side. "Did you see that, mommy? She's very strong!"
As the girl continued excitedly talking to her mother Akane turned around and walked towards her father. On the way she heard a conversation that further shocked her world.
-----
Shingo shook his head and sighed. "Man! I can't believe she's only ten. She's a lot better than last year."
Terry smiled. "What can you expect, though? She knows nothing but being on the road with her parents, always training for the next challenge." He knew many would consider that kind of life to be unacceptable. He himself couldn't live like that since he settled down.
-----
Those few words not meant for her made Akane miss everything else as she walked away from the platform and towards the building. She had a lot of thinking to do.
That was why she missed the way Genma defeated Kimi, in the process enraging everyone watching.
-----
Her blood boiled as she saw her daughter walk towards her with her usual cheerfulness, not realizing just how close she came to being cut in half. Seeing that man, Saotome Genma, throw an attack meant to kill at her daughter as a distraction to kick her out of the platform was too much for anyone.
She took a step forward but stopped when she felt a hand take hold of her shoulder. "Let me do this." She said already knowing he wouldn't relent. When he didn't remove his hand she was the one to relent. With a sigh she turned to gaze at his burning red eyes. "Try not to kill him, love." She knew how much control he had over his emotions, yet it was their daughter who almost got killed.
He nodded silently and stepped forward and up to the platform, with Genma waiting already in a ready stance.
The woman left behind suddenly found herself hugged around the waist and smiled down at her daughter. "You did well, Kimi-chan." She praised.
She then turned to see Saotome Genma face against the strongest fighter of all time. The only person she knew with the potential to become even better was their daughter, but for that to happen a lot of time and training was still needed. And even then it wasn't a sure thing.
He was just that strong.
-----
Genma studied the man walking towards him carefully. His steps were sure and his muscled frame spoke of power. Red eyes stared hard at him, but he didn't let that intimidate him. He'd seen far more scary things in his life. He saw the man assume a fighting stance and cup his hands to his side. *The same tactic should work.* He thought as he prepared another vacuum blade.
The man stared hard at Genma as he concentrated to gather a small amount of chi into his hands. Too much would kill Genma.
Ranma's biological father cocked his right hand back, ready to deliver an attack and follow it to hit the man out of the platform. He was sure he'd dodge after recognizing just how lethal his techniques were.
Their gis suddenly fluttered with the wind, a signal for the fight to begin.
"KIJIN RAISHUUDAN!!!"
"HADOKEN!!!"
End Part 23
Author's Notes: Well, this chapter definitely answers the question about who 'he' is. And the mother of his daughter as well. If you're wondering about the order of the matches and the thing about the blocks, think about it. There are 12 teams, so there's no way they all fight in all the elimination rounds. Two teams will have a chance to rest during the second round.
Anyway, with this done I'm back to working on the other fics. I'll work on whatever comes easier right now. Who knows? I could write the next chapter of this one first.