Disclaimer of Misplaced Identities: I do not own any of the stuff mentioned in this fanfiction. There, good enough.
AN: Everything begins to come together in this chapter! Sooo...I suggest you pay close attention to details or...something...yeah...I'll leave you alone now.
Losing Innocence, Finding Self
Chapter 3: Breaking Point
'Hmph, the boy still has so much to learn.' Happosai thought to himself as he almost negligently blocked Ranma's kick with his pipe, extending his aura into it to reinforce it and absorb the impact.
Ranma was surprised, although it didn't show on his face. He had put all his power into that kick, and Happosai didn't even look like he had strained to block it. Recovering quickly, he launched an intricate combination of punches and kicks meant to confuse and disorient his opponent.
Unfortunately, Happosai himself had invented many of the moves Ranma was using, and he easily used his pipe to block, parry, and redirect attacks. "Too slow, m'boy! Let me show you what real speed is!"
Finding himself suddenly switching to the defensive, Ranma was hard pressed to dodge or block the rapid succession of blows that even he had trouble following. And he wasn't able to avoid them all. A jab to the shoulder here, a barely avoided sweep there- he was quickly losing ground, and the attacks that made it through his defense were starting to take their toll.
His mind racing to come up with some way, any way of defeating Happosai, Ranma managed to come up with a course of action. A risky one, but it was better than nothing
'I hope this works...' the pigtailed fighter prayed as he condensed his battle aura around him, concentrating it into his hands.
Happosai was enjoying himself immensely. 'Heh, this'll show the young fool not to-' his thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a call of "KATCHU TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN REVISED: GLACIAL FISTS!"
Taking the brunt of several hits as he dropped his defense altogether, Ranma's hands flared to life with an icy blue aura as they struck out at phenomenal speeds, becoming a blur as his fists impacted with Happosai's pipe hundreds of times in the span of a few seconds.
Taken by surprise, Happosai used his pipe to prevent the punches from hitting him, then jumped back several yards to gain some breathing room.
"Ranma, Ranma, Ranma...you disappoint your master! Did you really think such an obviously poorly thought out tactic would work on me? Hah! Let me show you how it's done!"
And with that, Happosai charged forward again, intent on delivering righteous punishment upon his misguided heir. He thrust forward with his pipe at the same time that Ranma threw a punch of his own. Happosai smirked to himself, waiting for Ranma's fist to collide with his pipe, to...shatter it to pieces!
Unnoticed by Happosai, the target of Ranma's attack had been his weapon, instead of directly attacking Happosai himself. The ki Ranma condensed around his hands had been cold enough to actually freeze his pipe, and the last punch had shattered it like glass...
...and continued onward, smashing into the shrunken pervert's face and sending him flying back several yards. Flipping to right himself in midair, the old lech landed on his feet, sliding back another six inches.
Not giving his opponent time to recover, Ranma dashed forward, intent on making use of any advantage he could get. He was not fast enough, however- Happosai was already prepared to intercept Ranma's charge.
But he wasn't prepared when Ranma jumped over his head and flipped in midair, waiting until his body was parallel to and directly above Happosai. "MOKO TAKABISHA!" he called out, tossing his trademark ki attack straight down at his opponent.
Happosai nearly laughed to himself as he judged the trajectory of Ranma's jump, then leapt into the sky to intercept him, effectively dodging the ki projectile. However, he wasn't prepared for the glowing ball of energy floating directly in his face.
"MOKO TAKABISHA!" was the last thing he heard before the ki shot crashed into him, flinging him down the street, into and through the wall of a local convenience store.
Ranma touched down on the ground, allowing his body to recover some of his spent energy while he waited for the ancient Grandmaster of Anything Goes to make another appearance.
He didn't have to wait long, as a small figure burst through the front door of the building, landing on top of a mailbox, dripping water and...crustaceans?
"RANMA! How DARE you throw your master into a tank full of live lobsters! This has gone on long enough! I will show you why I am the Grandmaster of Anything Goes Martial Arts!" Happosai roared as he dislodged a lobster and threw it at Ranma.
Ranma simply sidestepped the flying sea food without batting an eyelash. But when Happosai suddenly blurred forward in a flurry of punches and kicks, he couldn't stop his eyes from widening ever so slightly.
Catching his intended pupil off balance, Happosai pressed forward, landing several painful hits before Ranma could even react. Stumbling backward, Ranma quickly regained his equilibrium and began trading blows with the lecherous gnome.
For several long moments, neither fighter could gain a clear advantage. Then Happosai brought out his secret weapon.
"Here you go, Ranma! A gift from the convenience store!" He shouted with glee as he took out a bottle of ice water, twisting off the cap and flinging the contents at Ranma.
The pigtailed martial artist didn't even blink as he, now her, shifted into her cursed form. She knew what was coming next, and was prepared for it.
With a cry of "Sweeto!" Happosai launched himself at Ranma, only to be violently rebuffed by means of a foot to the face propelling him over ten feet into the air.
Taking to the sky, Ranma jumped up after her self proclaimed 'master', calling out "KATCHU TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!" as she let loose with over a hundred vicious punches.
Happosai, perverted Grandmaster of the Anything Goes style of Martial Arts hit the ground roughly eight seconds afterward, bruised and bloody.
Sparing only a moment to glance at her downed opponent, Ranma turned around to make her way back into the Tendo home...
...only to be caught from behind with a powerful kick to the back of her head, launching her forward several yards to land in a heap.
"Soun ol' buddy! Now that the Master has weakened the boy, it will be a simple matter of 'convincing' my wayward son to marry Akane!"
"Quite right! Simple indeed!"
Unfortunately, the two morons had a penchant for ruining even the most absurdly simple of plans. While they had taken the time to announce their latest plot, it had given Ranma the precious moments she needed to recover.
Rising to her hands and knees, and feigning weakness, Ranma waited until she judged Soun and Genma to be within range. Then, shifting her weight to her hands, she brought her legs close to her body and used all her strength to spring backward, uncoiling her legs and striking the moronic duo with her feet, hurling them both across the street.
Ironically, that sent them on a collision course with the same house as last time, even to the exact same spots.
Rolling onto her back to catch her breath, Ranma took a thermos out of 'stuff space' and emptied the contents over her head, changing him back into a guy. Shutting his eyes and concentrating to regulate his flagging energies, he spent several minutes recovering until he felt a presence nearby. Opening his eyes again revealed a diminutive shadow over his head. Shifting his gaze upward revealed the source of the shadow to be none other than Happosai, standing over him triumphantly.
"So m'boy...what have you got to say?"
"..."
"Come now, don't be a sore loser. How about an apology for your old master, eh?"
"...Water freezes at thirty two degrees."
His face scrunching up in confusion, the ancient lech responded intelligibly, "Huh?"
Without so much as blinking, and never taking his eyes off Happosai, Ranma lifted his right hand.
"What? You want me to help you up, eh? Heheh...guess this means you acknowledge that I am your better, eh boy?"
As soon as Happosai's hand made contact, Ranma concentrated the remainder of his ki into his hand and pushed it into the old lech. The frigid ki went through Happosai like a shockwave, freezing the water still clinging to his clothes and skin, effectively turning him into a frozen lawn gnome.
"Feh...you wish, old perv. Your not my master. I have grown more powerful than you, so you have no right to claim that I am your student. And since I have beaten you in less than fair combat, since the odds were in your favor, I hereby claim the title of Grandmaster of the Anything Goes style of Martial Arts."
Slowly getting to his feet, and wobbling slightly, Ranma then turned his attention to the Tendo and Saotome patriarchs. As soon as they became aware of their surroundings once more, came to his decision.
"It's clear to me that you will never leave me alone...that you will always try to bully or trick me into fulfilling YOUR idiotic engagement...right?"
At seeing their hesitant nods, he continued.
"Fine...well then, Pops...I guess that leaves only one way out for me, doesn't it? Only one way out of all the engagements..."
The elder Saotome shifted uncomfortably at the bad feeling gnawing away at the limp noodle he called a spine. "Wh...what are you going to do, boy?"
"...As of today, I am no longer a Saotome. I renounce my name." Ranma stated quietly, turning around once more to walk back into the house. But he was stopped in his tracks by a familiar voice calling to him, "Ranma...?"
Turning towards the source of the voice, Ranma was shocked into dropping the Soul of Ice as he faced...
"M...mom?"
AN: I hope you all like my attempt at writing fight scenes. Zero experience at it, eh. Well, we all gotta learn sometime, right? And yes, I know you hate cliffhangers...but it must be this way! Why? er...it uh...just does. Kcyabye! -runs-
