Disclaimer: Ranma ½ belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Video and Winx Club belongs to Iginio Straffi and Rai S.p.A (NOT 4Kids!!)

Note: this follows the Rai version of Winx as the 4Kids version butchered it too much, like with every anime it dubs.

Chapter 5: School Days! Magic Can be Fun!

Wizgiz's classroom

"Good morning, students! For those of you who don't know me yet, I am Professor Wizgiz, your teacher in Metamorphosis!" said the leprechaun-like teacher in a heavy Irish accent. "Or, as I call it, the Art of Changing…." Wizgiz then grabs the side of his own face and stretches it out before letting it snap back in place, then suddenly he transforms into Ms. Griselda. "…. THE WAY YOU LOOK!"

Some of the new students in the class were a little shocked to see the diminutive teacher transform into the head of discipline. Ranma-chan watched in fascination as he saw how effortlessly Wizgiz shape-shifted. 'I could really use something like that…'

Wizgiz reverts back to his normal form. "That's nothing. By year's end, you'll be more capable of doing this and then some. Now, as every ending needs a beginning, let's start off with something simple." As he did with his first years long ago, he had each desk produce a hand mirror. Ranma-chan and all the other girls reach out and take a mirror. "Now concentrate, look in the mirror, look at yourself, and think about changing the color of your hair."

Ranma-chan looks around and sees that some of the students were able to pull off the simple act. She saw one girl's brown tresses turn blue in an instant. Others were simply not able to. Looking back at the mirror, Ranma-chan tried to concentrate on changing her hair color. So far, nothing has happened. 'Damn! I should be able to do this! I was able to levitate, though it was inadvertedly…'

Wizgiz approaches Ranma's desk. "Don't worry, Ranma. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again."

"Okay, how about this?" asked Ranma-chan as she pulls out a thermos she prepared. Uncapping it, she pours the hot water over herself, reverting her back to male form. "Ha! I changed my hair AND form!"

The other students laugh at Ranma's wit in handling the exercise.

"Hahaha, now now, Ranma, using your curse here would be cheating." Said Wizgiz in an amused tone. "We want you to try this with a more dry method."

"Sorry about that, Professor, just couldn't resist." Said Ranma.

The pig-tailed martial artist was glad to have gotten his curse squared away for the whole school during the orientation. He recalls back to that time yesterday.

Flashback…

Auditorium…

"Welcome, professors and students, old and new, to Alfea College for Faeries! I am your headmistress, Faragonda!" the elder faerie announced standing at the podium. Standing behind her were some of the faculty, including Palladium, Wizgiz, Avalon, Griselda, and Dufore. "I am happy to see some new faces as well as some returning faeries here at our campus. We've been through many trials and tribulations, but Alfea will still go on to ensure that it produces true faeries to suppress the darkness."

As the orientation speech went on, Ranma fought the urge to yawn. Academic activities such as this tend to bore him, but he didn't want to seem rude, considering that Faragonda was willing to take him in. Plus, Nodoka was sitting right next to him. Seated behind them were Bloom, Stella, Flora, Musa, Tecna, and Layla. At least this was a normal school meeting, unlike back at Furinkan High where its Hawaiian nutcase of a Principal Kuno made a first announcement of enforcing a stupid school haircut law. He shudderd as he remembered how the headmaster from Hell tried to give all boys buzz cuts and all girls bowl cuts.

"Furthermore, it is my pleasure to introduce two special guests who will be staying in Alfea." Said Faragonda, as she gestured to Ranma and Nodoka. "Nodoka, Ranma, please step on up."

The two Saotomes walk up towards the platform to stand near the headmistress. "Here we have our newest professor, Nodoka Saotome. She will be your instructor under the course of ki manipulation, the ability to channel your latent inner energies into power. Anyone interested should sign up for her program."

"It would be an honor to work with you all." Said Nodoka as she took a respectful bow.

"Also, here is her son, Ranma Saotome." Faragonda gestures to the pigtailed boy.

Ranma became nervous at being put on the spot. A lot of the girls were already giving him loving stares, which agitated him even more.

"Although this is a school for faeries, Ranma's a special case and will be attending here as well."

Naturally, all the girls in the crowds, sans Winx, were surprised at this announcement.

"But Ms. Faragonda! This is a girls' school! He's a boy!" said a student with short sandy blonde hair. Although she and the other girls thought he was cute and wouldn't mind having him around, to have a boy in the same classes just felt weird. Wasn't it against policy?

Stella could only chuckle. "Oh, won't dear Amaryl be in for a surprise…"

"That may be true, but he's also a half-faerie." Said Faragonda. "With our help, Ranma can live up to his full potential, just as we can help all of you live up to yours. That's not all."

Ranma could only sigh. Once again, he takes a bottle of water and pours it over himself, transforming into his girl form. All those present unfamiliar with the Jusenkyo curse were indeed surprised at the transformation.

"As you can see, Ranma has the unique ability to transform himself into a female form." Said Faragonda. "It is an affliction that he has and we will try to help him, or her, control it. I assure you, she really is in nature a boy."

Ranma-chan could only fidget nervously as the throngs of girls were whispering amongst themselves at the revelation of her curse. She just hopes that the whole school doesn't label him a freak of nature. Luckily, Bloom saves him. She stands up from her seat.

"Ranma may be a boy, but he's also a faerie. Since this is a faeries school, it is only natural that he should be able to learn here. Is it not a faerie's nature to help those in need? I was once just a normal earthling, but I was able to attend Alfea, and I've become a better person for it. Ranma should be given that same opportunity, too!"

Stella and the other Winx nodded in agreement. After hearing Ranma's story, they couldn't help but feel sorry for him because of the pains he's experienced in his life while in Japan. No one deserved to be ousted for being different. It all depended on what the person was like, not what they are. Stella, Flora, Musa, Tecna and Layla started to clap after Bloom's speech. One by one, the rest of the crowds of girls started to applaud. Ranma-chan gives a thankful look to Bloom. Hardly anyone, if any, had ever stuck up for her like that.

Faragonda then settles down the crowd. "Alright, I'm sure you'll all grow to enjoy the company of the Saotomes, so let's all make sure they feel welcome here! I hope all of you enjoy another year here at Alfea!"

With that said, another round of applause rang out. The orientation adjourns as the students are shown to their dorms.

End flashback…

Ranma could only smile at the memory. Maybe spending time here wouldn't be so bad.

"Right then, how about trying that again?" asked Wizgiz.

Ranma once again looks into the mirror, trying to figure out how to at least change his hair color at will. 'Man, this is hard, but that's never stopped me before!'

If there was one thing that Ranma was good at, it was to never give in when learning something useful. This trait allowed him to be able to learn techniques like the Amaguriken quickly, or even find alternative methods to do so. Again, Ranma closes his eyes and concentrates on his now ebony-colored hair in his reflection. He could feel his hair blowing upward from focusing his ki. After a few seconds, Ranma opens his eyes and notices that his once black hair was now red, much like his girl form's. H could easily be mistaken for the brother of his girl half if they were to stand together.

"Yes! I did it!" said Ranma.

"Nice job, Ranma!" said Wizgiz, who then goes to the front of the class. "Now then, class. Along with transforming, we must also learn how to revert back to our normal selves. "

'Okay, reverting shouldn't be too hard…' thought Ranma as he focused. He looks in the mirror and frowns as his hair didn't turn black again. Looking around, he saw that the rest were able to gain their normal hair colors again. "Aw man! My hair's still red!"

"Don't worry, Ranma. You'll get the hang of it. You just need to learn to focus more." Said Wizgiz.

Ranma could only nod. 'Man, this magic stuff is hard to get used to…' He'll give it a try later, but for now, he'll just spend the rest of the day as a red-headed male.

Avalon's classroom

"Cognitive analysis. You'll learn how to hone your senses and trust your instincts. You'll learn to look for details and perhaps, even discover new powers within yourselves." Said Avalon. He was a middle-aged man dressed in what looked like a white tux and had his long black hair tied in a loose ponytail. Thankfully, this Avalon was the real deal since the imposter was found out during that Darkar incident.

For some reason, Ranma felt a little jealous of the teacher in front of him. He was actually delving into Sky's memories about how Bloom was initially showing interest in the paladin when his imposter first arrived at Alfea. Although this Avalon was not the same one Bloom had been gushing over, Ranma still felt uneasy. He finally reasoned that it was pointless and focused on the lessons. The idea of discovering new abilities within himself proved to be promising.

Palladium's classroom

"Hello, everyone! I am Professor Palladium, and I shall be teaching magic implication, the study of shaping magic through word of mouth." Said the elven instructor. He was a tall man clad in white dress pants, dress shirt, and a pale green vest. His ears were pointed, as all elves are, which protruded from his past-waist-length brownish blonde hair. Although he looked youthful in appearance, being an elf, Palladium is actually a few centuries old. "Avalon's class teaches you how to understand magic. I'll teach you how to form it. Let us try a light spell."

He puts his hands together and glows with a yellow light. Ranma could've easily mistaken it for a battle aura. "Lumina!" Palladium spreads his palms apart, revealing a baseball-sized orb of white light. The rest of the class were quite impressed.

'Hmmm… looks almost like a ball of ki… ' thought Ranma.

"Magic can normally be given form through mental visualization called inversion." Explained Palladium as he caused the light orb to vanish. "When you get a good visual of what you want your spell to be, it will be easier to focus on recreating it. Ranma, would you like to give it a go?"

Ranma stood up from his seat. "Uh… sure." He puts his hands together in the same fashion as Palladium as tries to recreate the light orb.

"Visualize that you are in the orb, then imagine it growing within you." Instructed Palladium. "Once you grasp the spell, say 'lumina'."

The pigtailed boy focuses on creating the light orb, then smirks as he managed to get his visual. Unfortunately, he didn't quite hear the incantation right and then….

"Illumina!"

Palladium winces when he heard that. "Oh no!"

Ranma spreads his palms to produce the small light orb, but instead he accidentally creates a huge flash of white that illuminated the whole room for a brief period of time. Palladium and the other students quickly covered their eyes at the unexpected flash. (1)

After a few seconds, everyone in the room was able to regain their eyesight. Ranma could only laugh nervously. "Ehehehe…. I guess it was a bit too strong…."

"That's quite all right, Ranma." Said Palladium as he rubbed his eyes before addressing the class. "This is why incantation is very important, class. Mispronunciation can cause any spell to go awry, as you have clearly seen. You must always remember this."

'Note to self: work on wording skills…' Ranma thought to himself.

Nodoka's classroom

Ranma sits at his desk in his mother's class with the other students. Sitting on his right were Bloom, Stella, and Flora. On his left, Musa, Tecna, and Layla. He blushes when Stella asks why his hair was currently red (he never got around to trying to restore his hair color just yet). Standing in front was Nodoka in her ever present kimono.

"Konnichiwa, class. I am Professor Nodoka Saotome, as you have heard from yesterday's orientation." Said Nodoka. "I'm a new professor, so I hope we'll all get along well. We will be studying ki manipulation."

"Excuse me, Professor Saotome, but what is ki?" asked Flora as she raised her hand.

"Ki is the life energy latent in the body." Replied Nodoka. "All things in nature possess this ki, however, only a few are able to utilize it to its full extent. Even non-magical beings are able to utilize ki if given the proper training. Usually, only highly trained martial artists are able to tap into it." She looks towards Ranma.

"Really? What are the applications to such a skill?" asked Tecna.

"Ki has several applications." Replied Nodoka. "It can be used to enhance attributes such as strength and speed. It can also accelerate natural healing processes. Just imagine how powerful magic can be if it is backed by ki." She holds up her left hand and produces a ball of lightning the size of a baseball. It crackled audibly. "I hold in my hand a lightning orb at about 10 percent power. Now, I'll produce that orb in my other hand with the same power, but with ki focused in." Nodoka holds out her right hand, which glows blue with her ki. Afterwards, another ball of lightning formed in her hand, but this one was the size of a basketball and crackled loudly. The whole class stared in fascination at the display. "An application of ki can make a big difference in power as you can see."

Everyone was starting to think of how powerful her magic could be if they could utilize ki as their instructor can. They began to get eager of what they can learn in this class.

"A basic way to generate ki is to use emotions as a medium." Said Nodoka. "Therefore, it is best that you use an emotion that comes to you naturally. Ranma, can you demonstrate yours, please?"

"Sure thing, Mom." Said Ranma as he got up to stand next to her.

"Now Ranma, since we're in class, you should address me as Saotome-sensei." Said Nodoka in a motherly tone.

"Oh, right, Saotome-sensei." Said Ranma while sweatdropping. He focuses his inner energies, causing his body to emit a bright blue battle aura. Ranma smirks as he creates his Moko Takabisha in his hands, a ball of blue light that was the size of a basketball. He then dissipates it to nothing. "That was a technique I created long ago. It fuels on my self-esteem. I once had to use this on a guy who could do the same move, except his was fueled by depression."

Nodoka nods. "As you have all seen, using an emotion is a basic way to generate ki. The stronger your emotion, the more ki you can produce. Since it is technically not magic, it can be effective on magic-resistance beings. Now then, I want you all to try and find an emotion that comes naturally to you…"

Courtyard of Alfea…

'Well, I can't let myself get too rusty…'

Currently the pig-tailed boy (who had finally turned his hair black again) had put together some wood in a pile. Laid out next to it was a handkerchief and a bucket of water. Bloom, Stella, and Flora walk up to him after catching sight.

"Hello Ranma, what are you doing?" asked Flora.

"Oh, hey girls. Just trying to train, that's all." Replied Ranma. "Oh Bloom, think you can light those twigs for me, please?"

"Huh? Oh, sure." Bloom then shoots off a small fireball at the wood pile, causing it to catch fire.

"You gonna be roasting marshmallows?" Stella joked.

"Not necessarily." Said Ranma. Behind him came Musa, Tecna, and Layla. They were soon followed by Zing, who was carrying a small bag of something.

"Here's the stuff you wanted, Ranma!" said Zing as she handed the bag to him.

"Thank you, Zing." Said Ranma as he took the bag and proceeds to rip it open.

"What is that?" asked Musa.

"A bag of sweet chestnuts." Replied Ranma. Opening the bag, he dumped the chestnuts into the fire. He then kneels down in front of it.

"Ranma?" said Bloom. She and the others were confused at his actions. Was he trying to cook those chestnuts? Wouldn't it be easier to use a pan?

After a few seconds of waiting, Ranma reacted.

"KACHU TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!" ("CHESTNUTS ROASTING ON A OPEN FIRE FIST!")

The girls watched in amazement as Ranma's arms were a blur as he shot his hands into the fire at a rapid pace. This act wasn't lost on the other Alfea students milling about in the courtyard and he soon drew a crowd. They all thought he was crazy to stick his bare hands into a fire like that. However, once he had stopped, he revealed that he was holding twelve chestnuts in each hand. Setting them aside on the handkerchief, he shoots his hands into the fire again. Each time he stopped, he'd set aside the chestnuts he's managed to pluck from the fire. Finally, Ranma had plucked each and every chestnut from the fire. All one hundred twenty!

"That… was amazing, Ranma!" exclaimed Stella. All the girls watching gave the martial artist a round of applause at the display.

"That was awesome!" said Zing. "This martial arts stuff is cool!" Her hair was suddenly in a bobbed style and was wearing a yellow track suit. She started to throw punches and kicks at the air. "Hai! Wa-ta! Aaa-chou! Wa-chaaaaa!" (2)

"That's just impossible!" said Tecna. "Your hands should've been burned from doing that!"

Ranma simply flexed his hands. "Believe me, Tecna, the first time, I got burned numerous times. Now, I was able to develop the arm speed to avoid getting burned. Mind over matter and all that." He then takes the bucket of water and puts out the fire with it. "Anybody care for chestnuts?"

Immediately, the girls tried to take some. Bloom and her friends just smiled. Ever since Ranma came along, Alfea had just gotten more interesting.

To be continued…

Preview…

Musa: Whoo! It's time to party!

Ranma: Interesting, this school's having a party to welcome the new students.

Stella: It feels like old times, doesn't it?

Ranma: Hey! What's with the crazy witches over there?

Bloom: No way! The Trix!? How could they be here?

Ranma: I don't know why, but I already dislike them upon meeting them.

Bloom: Next time, on Ranma Club, 'Hands-on Experience! Ranma's Magic Battle!'

Ranma-chan: Is this what a transformation is like?

Author's notes:

(1) Ranma accidentally performed a Solar Flare as seen on Dragon Ball Z.

(2) Bruce Lee in the infamous yellow track suit as he appeared in Game of Death.

What emotion do you think each Winx girl should be dominant in? Suggestions are welcome.

I was told that Rai was the one who butchered Winx Club. How exactly did they do that? Rai was the one who created Winx in the first place, meaning it retains all its original music, lines, and scenes. 4Kids not only change the music, but also completely rearrange the scenes or cut some out completely (there was actually a scene where Zing cosplays as Spiderman, I kid you not). Their line-changing also caused quite a few plotholes.

Plus, voice-acting in 4Kids was just horrible. Lisa Ortiz made a good Lina Inverse in Slayers, but doing 4 different people (Musa, Icy, Digit, Mitsy) in the same show is just pushing it. And why does Tecna sound like an old British maid? Her Rai counterpart at least sounded young. The 4Kids voice actor for Stella sounded like she was yelling all her lines and was overly flaky.

Basically, 4Kids ruins any show they dub. Just look at One Piece, Shaman King, Sonic X, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Tokyo Mew Mew. Just imagine what would've happened if 4Kids had the dubbing rights to Naruto; it would not even have blood or even saying "jutsu".