Ranma Club

by Frequent Reader

RanmaxWinx Post-season 3 The Specialists die after shielding the Winx from Valtor's last attack. However, their souls were still intact and Faragonda reincarnates them in the body of a certain cursed pigtailed martial artist. Chaos comes to Magix, and magic comes to Nerima. Crossese with other series as well.Ranma/B,S,F,M,T,L. PLZ R&R!

29. CookOff! Outdoor Kitchen of Hades! v2

Disclaimer: Ranma ½ belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Video and Winx Club belongs to Iginio Straffi and Rai S.p.A (NOT 4Kids!!!). Songs 'Omoide ga Ippai ' and 'Lambada Ranma' belongs to Ranma 1/2.

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

Chapter 26: Cook-Off! Outdoor Kitchen of Hades!

Saotome residence, commons area…

The six faeries, known as the Winx, were sitting around the coffee table, engaged in a game of poker, with Zing as the dealer. Ranma was out in the yard training, choosing to pass at joining in, due to his past experience with cards. He was just never good at them.

"Man, nothing but junk…" said Stella as she looked at her hand.

"It's all up to luck." Said Tecna as she replaced two of her cards.

"HYAAAAH!"

Ranma jumps up and delivers a downward punch onto a rock, which practically explodes into a spray of pebbles on impact. The Winx look over at his handiwork.

"That was a good workout!" said Ranma as he wiped the sweat off his brow.

"Good to know that you're felling healthy today, Ranma." Said Flora. "However, you shouldn't make such a mess. What would Nodoka-sensei say if she saw craters in the yard?"

Ranma sweatdrops as Flora brought up a valid point. He turned and looked about the yard, and indeed, there were several small craters that he made due to his training session. "Oh crap… uhh… little help here?"

"Like to help, Ranma, but we're in the middle of a game here." Said Musa as she looked at her hand.

"Sorry, looks like you're on your own." Said Layla.

"You could see this as another part of your training." Said Bloom. "Use your magic to regenerate the yard."

Ranma could only grimace. He really couldn't complain since he was the one who made the mess in the first place. Calling upon his powers, he tries to reverse the craters. However, he was only able to halfway fill in some of the holes with soil.

"Aw man, this could take a while…" Ranma grumbled. All of a sudden, he gets splashed from above via Aqua Blanket, courtesy of Layla. "Why'd ya do that for!?" (1)

"I figured your magic will be more potent if you were in female form, Ranma." Replied Layla.

"You ought to be used to that body by now." Added Stella.

Ranma-chan grumbled more as she started to focus her powers once again. Ironically, they were right. After turning into a girl, her magic was more powerful. She had already filled in all of the craters and sprouted grass on top, making it look like nothing happened.

'Well I'll be damned…' thought Ranma-chan.

Opening (Ranma ½ season 3 style, 'Omoide ga Ippai')

As the beats begin, it shows bits of the title before going to a shot of Nerima as the morning sun rises up. The 'Ranma Club' logo appears.

Shigyou beru ki ni shi-nagara kakete kuru kurasumeito (My classmate, while keeping the school bell in mind, ran up to me)

Koe kakeru no nee "Ohayou!" (calling out, "good morning!")

Goes to a shot of the front of the Saotome residence. At "Ohayou!", Ranma runs out of the gates with his backpack.

Natsukusa ga kaoru hodo hohoemi de hajimaru asa (The sidewalk where you can smell the summer grass, the morning that began with a smile)

Itsu mo to onnaji da kedo (It's the same as always, but)

Ranma is running towards the direction of Furinkan in high spirits. Cuts to a shot of a tree with its branches blowing in the wind.

Sarikenai shunkan sae watashi no takara mono (Even these small moments are my treasures)

Kokoro no arubamu ni hatte aru (They are pasted in my heart's album)

Shows a collage slowly moving to the right, displaying the cast. Ranma's side profiles of his two forms border the rest of the cast in between., consisting of the Winx, the Specialists, Nodoka, and the rest of the NWC.

Wasurenai [Kono sora wo] (I won't forget (this sky))

A glimpse of Ranma turning his hair red in Wigiz's class, then to Ranma as he looks up at the sky.

Wasurenai [Kono yume wo] (I won't forget (this dream))

A glimpse of Ranma escorting the Winx girls at the Alfea party, then to said Faeries as they look up at the sky.

Anata to ima wakeau yasashii kisetsu (This kind season that I share with you now)

A shot of the sky as a plane leaves a jet trail.

Kanashikute [Yureta hi mo] (Sad (Even the days I shook))

Ureshikute [Naita hi mo] (Happy (Even the days I cried))

From above, the camera zooms down upon Bloom, Stella, Flora, Musa, Tecna, and Layla, who were standing in a tree field. They all turned their heads and smiled while looking up. Following their gazes was Ranma-chan sitting in a nearby tree. She smiles down upon them, then the phantom Specialists appear behind her.

Taisetsu na omoide na no (They are important memories)

The camera pans up towards the sky.

End opening

Furinkan High…

Ranma, Shampoo, Ukyou, and the Winx were sitting under a tree during the lunch period. Things have gotten more quiet after Ranma had put an end to the morning fights set up by Tatewaki Kuno. Of course, that didn't stop the moron himself from trying to stake his claim on the girls. He had been sent to the nurse's office yet again, for the umpteenth time.

"Mmmm… you've outdone yourselves again, girls!" said Ranma as he ate.

"Your cooking is quite delicious." Added Flora before taking another bite of her okonomiyaki.

"I hate to brag, but my okonomiyaki is the best in Japan! Maybe the whole world!" said Ukyou. (2)

"No forget about Shampoo's Neko Haten style ramen!" said Shampoo, not wanting to be shown up.

"Of course we wouldn't forget that, either!" laughed Musa.

"It helps when most of the good stuff is sold out from the cafeteria…" said Ranma.

The group finished off their meal and started to get up to walk around, until a familiar screech stopped them in their tracks.

"RANMA NO BAKA!"

Ranma gave a tired sigh as he and the others turned around to look at Akane, who was stomping up to them.

"What is it now, Akane?" Ranma asked in an annoyed tone.

She stopped six feet away from the group. "I just found out that Ryoga was actually P-chan!"

Ranma could only inwardly smile at that fact. The sounds of Ryoga's screams from a few days ago felt like a great justice was enacted. 'About damn time, too…' "So? Why're you mad at me for?"

"You knew they were the same person, didn't you!?" Akane accused. "He slept in my bed! He saw me undress! How dare you keep me in the dark about him!?"

"Because of a foolish honor promise I made to him on my part, which he took horrible advantage of." Replied Ranma. "Hey, I kept dropping clues to you about your darling pet repeatedly. Not my fault you were too dumb to figure it out."

"WHY YOU!"

"Hey! Back off, Akane! Don't go trying to pin this on Ranma!" said Ukyou. "It's not his fault you're too stupid to notice the obvious signs!"

"That right! Both go missing for days, have same bandanna, and even Ranma call Ryoga 'pig-boy' or 'P-Chan'! right in front of you!" said Shampoo.

"Let's not forget that Mark of a God incident, one of the biggest clinchers of all." Ranma drolled. "Ryoga had that stupid drawing on his stomach in both forms, and you even saw them, and what did you say?" He mocks her voice. "'I think someone drew the same mark on both of them'!"

He stops to see Akane seething in anger at being told her faults, but he continued on. "Oh sure, Kuno and Kodachi don't know both my forms are the same person, but at least they've got the excuse of not knowing a thing about Jusenkyo curses! Even that idiotic klepto Asuza figured out Ryoga was her 'darling Charlotte', right in front of you, no less! So what excuse do YOU have?" (3)

"RANMA NO BAKA!!!"

Akane charged forward with her mallet, intent on bashing in Ranma and his whore harem. In her anger, she had forgotten how far outclassed she was to all of them.

"Pyro Shot!" Bloom shoots a fireball at the mallet, reducing it to ashes in a heartbeat. Musa follows up with a blast of compressed sound, knocking her back on her butt.

"Sheesh! Will you just lay off, already?" said an annoyed Musa. "Quit blaming Ranma for all your problems!"

"WHY DON'T YOU JUST SHUT UP, YOU SLUT!?" shouted Akane as she charged again.

All of a sudden, she found herself unable to move, thanks to a temporary paralysis spell, courtesy of Flora.

"Ooh! That handy trick, Flower Girl!" said Shampoo.

"Thank you. Some plants have certain special properties. One can never underestimate nature." Said Flora.

"WHY YOU!? UNDO THIS RIGHT NOW!" demanded Akane. "WHEN I GET OUT OF HERE I'M GONNA- urk!"

She was cut short as Musa slapped a silence spell on her. "That's enough out of you. Just cool off for a while."

Flora and Musa go and whisper something to Ranma, who nodded. "They say that the paralysis and the silence is only temporary, Akane. Lucky you. However, you'll be like that for an hour. See you in class."

Ranma and company leave for the school building once the bell rang, signaling the end of the lunch period. Akane seethed in silent rage as she saw them just leave her there.

'THAT BAKA! I'LL SHOW THEM! I'LL SHOW THEM ALL!'

Unfortunately, things had only gotten worse for her. A certain insane kendoist had walked by and saw her paralyzed, meaning one thing…

"Oh my fair Akane Tendo! You are so full of joy to see me you can't even move and are at a loss for words! I understand that the sight of me can stop a fair lady in her tracks! Let me reward thee!"

Akane could only inwardly scream (due to being silenced by Musa's spell) as Kuno was about to shower her with his 'affection'.

School gates…

The end of the school day arrived, and Ranma's group headed for home. Before leaving, they got a glimpse of Kuno in the nurse's office, completely bandaged up. After the paralysis on Akane finally wore off, she enacted painful retribution on the True Blunder for taking advantage of her frozen state.

Passing by the market district, they came across a flyer posted on a telephone pole.

"Hmmm? What's this?" asked Layla as she looked at the flyer.

Everyone else went to see what the aquakinetic faerie was looking at. The poster displayed a chef crossing a ladle and spatula in front of him over a flaming wok. Before the wok read "STEEL CHEF TAG-TEAM COOK-OFF TOURNAMENT! PUT YOUR CULINARY AND TEAM SKILLS TO THE ULTIMATE TEST FOR A GRAND PRIZE! ALL ENTRANTS WELCOME"

"Looks like a cooking contest." Said Bloom.

"Interesting…" mused Ranma.

"It's offering a grand prize, too!" said Stella. "I wonder what it could be?"

A young man who was posting the flyers walks up to them as they were reading it. "Oh! Are you interested?"

The group turns to the promoter.

"Yes, actually." Replied Flora. "Can you give us more detail?"

The promoter smiles. "As you can see, it's a cooking battle. Teams of two compete in a series of single-elimination rounds using the provided ingredients. It all comes down to taste and teamwork. First place wins 1,000,000 yen cash prize, a year supply of food, and a mystery prize!" (4)

"Whoa! That's a lot of stuff!" said Stella.

"We're trying to promote Steel Chef to the masses with this contest." Said the promoter. "Anyone can cook if they give it their all. Why not give it a shot?"

He hands Stella a more detailed flyer of the Steel Chef contest before going on his way to post more. The teen group was left pondering on what he had suggested.

Saotome complex…

"A cooking contest?" said Nodoka as she was preparing dinner.

"That's right! Could be interesting to watch, at least." Said Bloom.

"Two-person teams, huh?" said Ranma as he looked at the flyer. "Ukyou and Shampoo would be a shoe-in for this!"

The two aforementioned girls looked up at this statement. Everyone turns to look at the pair.

"Hey! He's right! You two would be perfect!" said Layla.

"You really think so?" asked Ukyou.

"Of course!" replied Ranma. "I know from first-hand experience that your cooking is superb!"

Shampoo grins. "Ranma know his food, that for certain."

Everyone laughs while Ranma scratches the back of his head nervously.

"A huge cash prize and a year supply of ingredients! Now that's a reward!" said Stella.

Nodoka then walks into the room. "You know, I could use the extra food ingredients." She had to keep a full pantry, considering the number of mouths she's feeding.

"That doesn't sound too bad, either." Said Ranma.

"You know, I'm kind of curious as to what that mystery prize is." Mused Musa.

"It's settled, then! We'll enter the contest!" declared Ukyou.

"Careful! You don't know who could also be signing up for this." Said Flora. "You could have some competition."

"It no matter. Other contestants no stand chance!" added Shampoo.

Ranma had to agree. Both Shampoo and Ukyou work as restaurant chefs, after all. He couldn't deny their cooking skill.

"According to the flyer, the contest starts three days from now." Said Tecna.

"We'd better get you registered soon." Said Bloom.

Bloom and Stella volunteer to escort Shampoo and Ukyou to the place of registration at the address provided on the flyer. As they left, Ranma plops down on the couch.

"This will be interesting!" said Chatta.

"Cooking is a necessary skill everyone must possess." Said Tune.

"It's better when done from the heart…" said Amore with a sigh.

Ranma recalled what the promoter said to them. "Anyone can cook if they give it their all, huh?" He recalled his own experience cooking when under the guise of Ranko during Nodoka's visit to the Tendo Dojo long ago. "I just hope a certain someone doesn't try to enter this, too."

At the Tendo Dojo, Akane sneezed loudly.

The day of the contest…

A crowd was formed at the contest location, a wide open field in the park. The "battleground" was a huge stone tile floor that elevated eight inches from the ground and covered a one thousand square foot area. (5) Upon the stone platform stage were several kitchen stations, fully stocked with the necessary appliances and utensils. At the end of the stage was the judges' table.

The Winx Club, along with Ranma, Nodoka, Shampoo, Ukyou, and the Pixies had arrived in the area.

"Man, this place sure is packed…" said Layla, observing the crowds sitting in the surrounding bleachers. Stationed around the ring were several cameras and the crew to televise this event.

"No kidding…" said Musa. "It's almost like an arena."

They see a line of people before another table.

"That must be the entries line." Said Nodoka. She turns to her two adopted daughters. "You two go on ahead. We'll be cheering for you."

"We won't disappoint you!" said Ukyou.

"This contest in bag!" said Shampoo with confidence.

"Good luck, girls!" Ranma called out as they left for the contestant line.

"Well, let's head for our seats." Said Nodoka as she lead the group to the audience seats.

Ukyou and Shampoo stood at the end of the line, waiting to confirm their entries.

"WHAT'RE YOU TWO DOING HERE!?"

The two girls got annoyed expressions as they turned to see Akane scowling at them. Behind her was Kasumi.

"Akane! Watch your tone!" Kasumi scolded.

"It not obvious? We entering contest!" replied Shampoo.

"You're entering, Kasumi?" asked Ukyou.

"Indeed I am, Ukyou." Replied Kasumi. "I thought this could be a new experience for me."

Ukyou and Shampoo nodded. Kasumi hardly ever got out, let alone attend an event like this. She was always the dutiful and probably the only sensible person in the Tendo family.

"Don't tell me you're entering as well, Akane…" said Ukyou in dread as she looked at the youngest Tendo.

"Of course I am!" said Akane. "I'm gonna win this competition and show everyone that I'm the best cook!"

Shampoo, Ukyou, and even Kasumi could only groan in displeasure. She was going on about saying that she'll win the cooking contest when she can't even cook something remotely suitable for human consumption. Although Nodoka's adopted daughters couldn't deny that Kasumi was a great cook, they couldn't help but pity her for being paired up with the worst possible cook.

"Why kitchen destroyer even bother show up? You just be danger hazard!" said Shampoo.

"WHAT WAS THAT YOU BIMBO!?" retorted Akane.

Kasumi could only sigh. She couldn't believe that it could come to this.

Flashback…

At the Tendo home, Nabiki walked into the commons area where Soun and Genma were playing their Shogi game.

"Have you heard? There's a cooking contest going on in a few days in this area." Said Nabiki as she held the flyer.

Kasumi peeked her head out from the kitchen after hearing that bit of news. "Oh? Is that so?"

"That's nice, Nabiki." Said Soun, feigning interest.

"Now I'm starting to get hungry…" said Genma.

"A cooking contest?" said Akane as she came in from the dojo.

"It's a promotional contest from Steel Chef." Said Nabiki as she looked at the flyer.

"Steel Chef? I sometimes watch that show to get some good recipes." Said Kasumi.

"Ah, so you're familiar with it? That's good." Said Nabiki. "Get this: The winner will win a year supply of food ingredients used in the contest along with 1,000,000 yen!"

Everyone looked up at that bit of news. Soun and Genma looked excited.

"A year supply of food and a million yen!?" they repeated.

"Really?" asked Akane. "Kasumi will win hands down!"

"I agree! She's perfect for this!" said Soun.

Genma started to concoct ways on how he'd spend a million yen on.

"Oh my! I don't know if I'd be a match for them…" said Kasumi.

"Don't be silly, Kasumi! You're cooking is always fantastic! You could teach the other contestants a thing or two!" said Soun.

"Hold on, Daddy, there's something else." Said Nabiki as she held the flyer up to them. "It says here that it's a tag-team tournament. If Kasumi's gonna enter, she'll need a partner."

Akane quickly took the opportunity. "Don't worry about that! I'll be Kasumi's partner!"

Though the youngest Tendo said that with confidence, the rest of the house tenants sweatdropped and looked extremely nervous.

Nabiki only had one thought in her mind. 'We're doomed…'

End flashback…

Kasumi was nervous to have Akane as a partner in the contest for good reason. Though she would never tell it to her face, she just can't cook anything, period. Despite that, Akane was so insistent on being Kasumi's partner, she even went as far as to go and register their names without her consent, so the eldest Tendo had no choice but to take her on. Still, there was no one else that she could ask to partner up with her.

"JUST YOU WAIT! I'LL SHOW YOU BOTH!" shouted Akane.

"Whatever you say, Akane." Said Ukyou in a bored tone. "You just keep telling yourself that."

"What's that supposed to mean!?"

"She mean you only delude self, kitchen destroyer." Replied Shampoo. "You want get far? Stay out of Kasumi way."

Akane was about to give another angry retort, but was held back by Kasumi. "Save it, Akane. We're not here to fight."

It took a few moments for Akane to finally calm down. She'll just bring the fight to them in the contest. Of course, once again, she'll learn that saying something and doing something are two different things.

The outdoor stage…

"Welcome, one and all, to the Steel Chef Tag-Team Cook Off Tournament!" The announcer called out from his mic. He was a middle-aged man dressed in traditional samurai robes complete with katana at his hip. "I am your host, Takeshi Yarma! (6) We're coming to you live, here in the Nerima prefecture of Tokyo, where several aspiring chefs of all kinds have gathered to test their culinary skills in a cooking battle to the finish! Teams of two must combine their cooking talents to create delicious and artistic dishes with the provided theme ingredients. There will be no recipes, meaning the contestants will have to play by taste. Points are awarded for time, presentation, and taste. The team that reaches the top will win one million yen and a year supply of food ingredients used in the contest! Not only that, we'll also throw in a mystery prize!"

Takeshi gestures to two lovely ladies in strapless dresses, who show off a curtained area, marked with a huge question mark. He then walks over to the now occupied judges' table.

"Let's now meet our esteemed judges for this event. Coming from France, he is a famed palate, and a master of Martial Arts Dining, Picolet Chardin!"

Picolet waves to the crowds. "This tournament will be very appetizing, indeed. I cannot wait to sample the dishes the contestants will make."

Takeshi moves on. "Over here, a native of Nerima, the Hawaiian principal of Furinkan High, Kocho Kuno!"

The principal waves, but gets barraged with debris by most of the audience members, Furinkan students specifically.

"Oi, little keikeis! We just be friendly for now like good bruddahs and sistas, ya? No throwing stuff!"

Sweatdropping, Takeshi moves on to the final judge. "Er… moving right along, our final judge is the notorious wandering gambler, Gambling King!"

"I'd wager that this will be quite a delectable time." Stated the Gambling King.

From the stands, Ranma grimaced. "Those three jerks are the judges?"

"It cannot be helped, son." Said Nodoka.

"Could've been worse. One of the judges could've been biased on a chef."

Somewhere in the Japanese wilderness, Ryoga sneezed while trying to find food.

"Ah, Ranma, ladies, it's nice to see you've come."

They turn to see Cologne and Mousse walking up to them.

"Ah, so you've made it, Honored Elder." Said Nodoka.

"Here to cheer Shampoo and Ukyou on?" asked Ranma.

"Damn straight, Saotome!" said Mousse. "Shampoo will win, no doubt!"

"It's nice that you're supporting her, but you might want to rein it in a bit." Said Lockette.

Mousse was startled at seeing the Pixie floating before him, even more when five others showed up. "Huh!? What're you…"

"Relax, Mousse. They are the bonded Pixies of those six girls you met earlier." Said Cologne.

Now that he recalled, they did say that they were faeries, and honorary sister Amazons. Seeing the Pixies with them only confirmed that fact. He also remembered from Amazon history that only those tied with magic are able to see the Pixies. Well, they seemed friendly enough. Brief introductions were made before the tournament officially started.

"Here are our contestants!" announced Takeshi. "We have here a fine assortment of players aiming to win!" Lined up at the foot of the stone stage were sixteen teams, for a total of thirty-two people. Ranma's group were able to make out Ukyou and Shampoo within the crowds and started cheering for them. The pig-tailed boy winced when he also made out someone else.

"Oh man! Akane's in this contest? Why's she in there?"

"Is she really that bad of a cook, Ranma?" asked Bloom.

"She is, and more, Bloom." Replied Ranma. "I felt like I was going to die whenever I eat something of hers." He thought back to when Akane cooked up one of her mother's secret recipes (which she had taken the liberty of 'revising') and force-fed it to him, Genma, and Soun. It was a taste he wished he could just forget, along with all the others.

Nodoka recalled her experience of sampling Akane's attempt at vegetable stir-fry. She passed out after just one bite.

"It looks like Kasumi's entering, too." Said Flora as she spotted her.

"That's kind of a surprise." Said Ranma. "Kasumi hardly ever goes out. Guess she's Akane's partner. Even if Kasumi's a great cook, it won't help Akane much, unless she'd just stay out of her way."

On the other side of the ring, Soun, Genma, and Nabiki sat cheering on Kasumi and Akane, as well as praying that Akane doesn't accidentally kill someone with her cooking, which could hold them responsible.

All of the teams were given number tags for labeling on match order. Shampoo and Ukyou had gotten number 7. Ironically, Kasumi and Akane had gotten number 13.

Takeshi continues his announcement. "We will begin the preliminary rounds. This will follow single-elimination rules. The team in each match who out-cooks the other will move on to the next round and face the other round winners. And now, for the first round theme…" Several large tables covered with cloths were rolled in by the staff and set down the middle of the field. The staff members then pulled the cloths off, revealing numerous amounts of fruit and pastry ingredients. "… a dessert battle! A wise man once said, 'It used to be that sugar itself was the best snack'. Can you believe this!? The confectionery arts have now advanced such that they dazzle us with such a variety of flavors. But!! I believe that the very origins of humans can be found in sweetness. Dessert confront!! Our contestants must now use sweetness to give everyone a glimpse at their past and future."

All contestants are called to their kitchen stations on the huge platform. Shampoo and Ukyou braced themselves for the starting signal.

"Ready? And…. COOK!"

The preliminaries began, and all the contestants were off. Shampoo and Ukyou were quick to grab the necessary foodstuffs from the table. Though they were specialized in their respective restaurant dishes, it didn't mean that they couldn't cook anything else.

"So what now?" asked Shampoo.

"I guess the best course of action is to start small and work our way up, gradually making better dishes." Said Ukyou. She brought out a bowl and a strainer. "In the meantime, we'll cook separately in order to get more dishes out."

"Good idea." Said Shampoo as she brought out some utensils and some choice fruit.

At station thirteen…

Kasumi had given Akane the simple task of peeling a few apples for her in order to make some apple cheesecake. However, the youngest Tendo proved to be less than adequate at that.

"Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!" Kasumi sweatdropped as she saw Akane slicing off huge chunks from an apple, so it wound up less than half its original size.

"Akane, how in the world are you doing that?" asked Kasumi. "You're supposed to peel off the skin!"

"Just trying to get every bit, Kasumi." Akane replied sheepishly.

"Just don't make such big cuts, okay?" said Kasumi. This was going to be a long day…

Later…

"Aiyah!" Shampoo tossed up some fruit and peeled/sliced them all up in mid-air with the kitchen knife shortly after washing them. Afterwards, she put them all in a pot where she started to add other ingredients until they got syrupy. As she does this, Shampoo had finished making the crust batter and proceeded to knead and shape it for her uses. From the stands, Ranma was impressed.

"Wow! I can't believe she did that!" exclaimed Stella.

"Heh, that's Shampoo for you!" said Mousse.

Ukyou started to mix up some batter after tossing in all the necessary ingredients in their sufficient amounts. Once mixed, she poured it all into two circular graham crusted pans she had prepared earlier. Popping them both into the oven, she started working on confectionary toppings.

Over at station thirteen, things weren't going as smoothly.

"AAAAAAARRRRRRGGGHHH!!!!" Akane was mixing the batter as instructed by Kasumi, albeit too hard and too fast.

"Akane! Not like that!" She thought Akane could've handled simply stirring the batter, but she was just putting too must gusto into it, resulting in practically splattering it everywhere. The bowl had lost almost half of its contents.

"Sorry, Kasumi…" said Akane.

"Just go grab some more apples for me, then." Said Kasumi.

Akane goes off. Later, she comes and brings back…

"Akane, those are tomatoes…" said Kasumi. "Where did you get them from?"

"But the apples over there looked too small, so I went to the storage area for…" Akane explained.

"Tomatoes aren't used in dessert dishes, Akane…"

"But aren't they a fruit?"

Kasumi just sighs.

From the stands, Ranma's group sweatdropped, witnessing the whole thing.

"I feel sorry for Kasumi…" said Layla. The others just nodded in agreement.

The end of the Dessert Round…

The preliminary rounds went by smoothly. Of course, Shampoo and Ukyou made it past the first with their entries. Shampoo created a "fruit punch pie", topped with sliced strawberries, blueberries, and apple syrup. It had a sweet and tangy taste to it. Ukyou whipped up a wide, double-layered yellow cake with vanilla crème filling. It looked like one big pancake than an actual cake due to the flatness of the layers. It was topped with chocolate sauce frosting and sprinkles. All in all, it looked like one big okonomiyaki. Go figure.

Kasumi and Akane barely made it with their entry. Between them, they managed a small apple cheesecake, mostly due to Akane wasting most of the food, sheering their quantity and time. Fortunately, the taste got them past the round. They were lucky they didn't wind up making a spicy cake.

"And that ends the Dessert Battle! I've never seen or tasted anything so sweet! Only eight of the sixteen teams remain!"

A resounding cheer came from the crowds as the remaining contestants waved.

"All right! They made it!" said Bloom.

"There was never a doubt." Said Nodoka.

New covered tables were rolled in on the stage as Takeshi continued his announcement. "We shall now commence on the next round! The theme here is…" The staff members pull off the cloths, revealing meat products of all kinds. "… a meat battle! Meat!! I've never seen or heard of such a straight and simple theme. However, even though we can say meat in a single word, the varieties in flavors are endless even if we consider only the meat of birds such as chicken, duck, or quail! Together with the differences in texture, you can create an infinite variety of tastes. The extract gathered from fresh meat! Just fab-u-lous! Juicy! Fab-u-lous! The Royal Road! However, I cannot imagine that any two chefs will be able to create the very same dish. I know that we are awaiting some kind of 'incident' that will fly in the face of common sense."

The contestants were called up to their stations. Shampoo and Ukyou cringed when they heard an all-too familiar voice.

"OHOHOHOHOHOHO! So the Chinese harridan and the cross-dresser think they can best the Black Rose in the Culinary Arts! How laughable!"

The two girls look in disdain towards Kodachi Kuno, who looked more or less recovered from her disastrous fight with Layla. Her partner was the Kuno family's ninja manservant, Sasuki.

"Er, please, Mistress Kodachi… It would not do to agitate two people who have beaten you in the past, especially when you're still recovering from-"

"SILENCE WORM!" Kodachi bellowed. She didn't want to be reminded of that little fact. "When I want your opinion, I'll ask for it!"

"Yes, Mistress…" Sasuki said while shying away.

"I'm surprised you're up and about, Kodachi." Said Ukyou. "Would've thought you'd still be waterlogged."

"You sure you want to be near sink? Water might ATTACK you!" Shampoo taunted.

Kodachi's face flushed with rage. "I'LL SHOW YOU BOTH!!!"

"Yeah, heard that one before…" said Shampoo nonchalantly.

Back to the stands…

"Looks like they're going up against Kodachi." Said Ranma.

Layla's expression darkened. The insane gymnast had caused her and her friends a lot of grief. She resisted the urge to give her a full-sized Aqua Blanket and give her a severe case of hydrophobia in the process.

Takeshi held up his hand for the starting signal.

"And… COOK!"

The second round, the Meat Battle, has now commenced.

Ukyou and Shampoo went to grab their meats at the same time as Sasuki.

"Hurry it up, Sasuki! I need those ingredients now!" ordered Kodachi.

"Coming, Mistress Kodachi!"

Shampoo came back with her pork and chicken while Ukyou comes with a considerable amount of beef. Turning on the stove, they went to work with their preparations.

"Hurry it up, Sasuki! I need you to prepare the dressings and oven temperatures!" ordered Kodachi.

"Yes, Mistress!"

Rather than working together, Kodachi was just ordering Sasuki around. Why should she consider herself and her servant as equals? To her, the very thought was laughable.

With Kasumi and Akane…

"Akane, I need for you to tenderize the pork for me."

"Sure, Kasumi…" Akane had a sizable amount of pork on the cutting board. She gave it a hard glare as she was reminded of P-cha- er… Ryoga. She soon imagined the pork slab to be her former beloved pet and got angry again. Taking up the kitchen mallet, she started beating the pork slab repeatedly, albeit too hard than necessary. Pork bits were flying everywhere and on her from each pounding like in a horror film. If one listened closely, a Latin chorus could be heard.

'Hentai! Hentai! HENTAI!!!'

"Akane! Stop!"

Akane eventually calmed down after hearing Kasumi's voice.

"Kasumi?"

"What do you think you're doing!?"

Akane looked down on the cutting board. What once stood as a slab of pork was now reduced to leaky, chunky remains that could only be classified as a meat puddle.

"Oops… sorry, Kasumi…"

Kasumi sighs and orders Akane to go get more from the table.

Ukyou took a sizable tenderloin and started to season it a bit before throwing it onto the olive-oiled pan. As she waits for the tenderloin to cook, she started to slice up some Portobello mushrooms, garlic, and basil.

Shampoo was slicing up some chicken into smaller boneless portions, then went to work with creating a thick orange sauce. After soaking them, proceeds to fry them in a flaming wok.

"Ukyou! While you wait for dish to cook, can you roll out dough there?" asked Shampoo.

"Huh? Oh, sure…" replied Ukyou before going to said dough and started to roll and knead it.

"Thank very much!" said Shampoo as she was cook tossing her chicken.

With Kodachi and Sasuki…

"Do not worry, Mistress! With your father as one of the judges, you shall win this competition without a doubt!" said Sasuki.

Kodachi smacks the little ninja upside the head with a club she made appear. "How DARE you insinuate that I, Kodachi Kuno, the Black Rose of St. Hebereke, could only win if my father was involved? You dare to INSULT my culinary prowess?!"

Sasuki panicked while rubbing his sore head. "Oh no! NO! NO! Forgive me, Mistress! I meant no offense!"

"Though it is obvious to all that I shall be the eventual victor, let it NOT be said that I, Kodachi Kuno, cannot attain first place through my own ability in the kitchen! Now, start skinning those potatoes, or I will have YOU skinned!" ordered Kodachi.

"Yes, Mistress!" said Sasuki as he went to work.

With Kasumi and Akane…

As Kasumi was preparing the sauce and seasonings for their planned sweet and sour pork dish, Akane was given the task of deep-frying the marinated pork cubes in the wok. Even she couldn't screw that up, right?

Wrong.

Just like with tenderizing the pork, Akane had gotten angry again as she was deep-frying. Looking down at the marinated pork cubes, her face took on a scowl as she imagined them to be P-chan.

'Oh, I'd like to cook you right now, you pig!'

Without realizing it, she had increased the temperature of the stove past the recommended level. Her eyes burned as she imagined setting P-chan on fire.

'Fry, you little pervert! Why don't you burn and get eaten!?'

"AKANE!"

Snapped out of her thoughts, Akane looked up. "Huh?"

"The wok!"

Looking over, the short-tempered girl finally realized the marinated pork was on fire. "EEEEEK!"

Quickly taking over, Kasumi removes the wok and puts it under sink water to extinguish the fire. She shoots Akane a disapproving look, who droops her head in shame.

"I-I'm sorry, Kasumi…"

Kasumi was trying her best to keep her cool. She began to wonder how they even got past the first round.

At the stands…

Ranma's group sweatdrops after witnessing what Akane had done.

"It took her THAT long to figure out her dish was on fire?" asked Musa.

"Err…. Maybe she was just trying to do a flambé?" Flora hypothesized.

Ranma inwardly scoffs. He remembered the last time she flambé-ed sliced carrots.

Time passes…

"And… TIME!" Takeshi shouted.

All contestants had presented their dishes. Once again, Kasumi had been hard-pressed on time and wound up making a small portion of her intended sweet and sour pork dish due to Akane wasting the ingredients. Still, they managed to get by again on taste thanks to Kasumi.

"This is great, Kasumi! We made it!" said Akane.

Kasumi said nothing.

Kodachi and Sasuki's three-pound filet mignon looked impressive by itself, getting a high rating from the judges. Kodachi smirks arrogantly at Shampoo and Ukyou, convinced that she has won. However, the Shampoo/Ukyou team wowed the judges with their entries. Shampoo created an orange chicken platter with a side of hand-made steamed pork buns while Ukyou made a steak de Burgo with fried rice. Both of them tasted phenomenal.

"Now that is one great way to prepare chicken!" said Gambling King.

"Ah! De steak, together with the mushrooms and bleu cheese crumbles, make this dish a power combo of taste!" said Principal Kuno. "That GOOD BEEF!"

"Delicious! I've never tasted anything like it!" said Picolet. "There's just something about the flavor of the orange chicken that just makes me want to go for more!" As he said this, more of the orange chicken was disappearing thanks to his speed-eating ability, much to the displeasure of the other two judges.

Kodachi growls. 'Hmph. It's not all that great!'

After a moment, the judges made their decision. They handed Takeshi the results.

"The scores are in! The winners in this match are… the Shampoo/Ukyou Team!"

"WHAT!?"

The two female martial artists jumped in triumph at the announcement.

"Congradulations, you two! You go on to the semi-finals!" said Takeshi.

"THIS IS PREPOSTEROUS! I DEMAND A RECOUNT!" shouted Kodachi. She had to be held back by Sasuki.

"Mistress Kodachi, please! Control yourself!" said a frightened Sasuki.

"I'm sorry, Miss Kodachi, but the judging is absolute. Those are the rules." Said Takeshi. "You were close, though."

"CLOSE DOESN'T CUT IT!" shouted Kodachi. "I WAS SUPPOSED TO WIN THIS TOURNAMENT FOR I HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO SO! THESE GUYS JUST HAVE NO TASTE WHATSOEVER!!!"

"Stop it, my lil' wahine! We has spoken! Stand down or Pappy will have to ground you!" said Principal Kuno.

Kodachi immediately bowed down. "Yes, father-dear…" She then turns her wrath on Sasuki and hauls him up. "This must be your fault! You must've screwed up the preparations, somehow! It couldn't have been my fault, so it must've been yours!"

Sasuki could only inwardly cry while thinking, 'Why me?'

Ukyou and Shampoo advanced to the semi-finals.

"We're in!" said Ukyou.

"Was there ever doubt?" said Shampoo.

Looking over, they were surprised to see that Kasumi and Akane were still in the running.

"Wow, I never expected them to get in the semi-finals." Said Ukyou.

They also noticed that Kasumi looked more exasperated than usual. Then again, when has she ever been exasperated?

Takeshi takes the stage again. "The Meat Battle has ended! Never have I seen such variety of meat dishes! We have now come to the semi finals of the Steel Chef Tag Team Cook Off! Only four teams remain!"

The crowds cheered for the remaining contestants.

"This is getting good! They're in the semi-finals!" said Stella.

"Make me proud, Shampoo. You, too, Ukyou." Said Cologne.

Once again, new covered tables were rolled onto the stage. "The semi-final round will be…" The tables were revealed, holding numerous amounts of pasta ingredients. "… a pasta battle! Pasta! They say that dough is the building block for numerous cuisines, but pasta is the penultimate form of dough! Approximately three-hundred fifty different shapes of pasta exist in this mortal coil of ours! Combining them with sauces, cheeses, and seasonings, pasta can become a variety of superb delicacies! Let us partake in this culinary battle!"

"Pasta? Shampoo work with ramen, though." Said Shampoo.

"And I've worked with yakisoba noodles." Said Ukyou. "This shouldn't be any different."

As they took to their station, they looked over at who was serving as their opponents.

"Why hello, Ukyou Kuonji, it's been a long time."

Ukyou frowned, recognizing the voice. "Not long enough, Crepes King Joe…"

Crepes King Joe looked exactly the way she remembered him. He was in his tight white chef's outfit, his long brown hair tied near the end with a yellow ribbon, and an arrogant smirk on his face. His partner is a young girl with long brown hair, clad in tight red pants and a blue gi top.

"You two are going down!" said Kaori Daikoku.

Takeshi took his stand. "Ready? And… COOK!"

The semi-final round, the Pasta Battle, commenced.

"I've never had pasta before." Said Ranma. "Sounds very good, though."

"Oh it really is!" said Bloom. "When used with tomato sauce and mozzarella, it's very delicious!"

Ranma got hungry just thinking about it. "I'd like to try it sometime."

Ukyou and Shampoo went to get the ingredients, but stopped to observe the many varieties of pasta on display.

"My goodness! There're just so many types!" said Ukyou.

Shampoo scans the table, and comes across a certain type of noodle. It was flat, wide, and had curly sides. "Hmmm… this kind look good."

"Huh? What are those?" asked Ukyou.

"Not exactly sure, but look familiar…" said Shampoo in deep thought. She recalled that some of her sister Amazons had come back from visiting countries outside the Joketsuzoku, not just Japan. Some came back from Italy, with cultural knowledge, especially their culinary arts. She recalled how one of her cousins attempted an Italian pasta dish using those wide flat noodles. "That it! Ukyou! Get as much of those flat noodles and some ground beef!"

"Huh? These?"

"Yes! Bring them to station! I'll come back with other necessities!"

Ukyou didn't question Shampoo's orders. She took as much of the noodles and some ground beef as she could back to their station. Shampoo arrives with tomato sauce, ricotta, and mozzarella.

With Joe and Kaori…

"Heh! This is child's play! Just like making crepes!" said Joe. He was boiling up some noodle sheets to use as wraps.

"Between the two of us, no one stands a chance!" said Kaori as she was prepping up the ricotta cheese and meat sauce.

"So are we in agreement of this round's dish?" asked Joe.

"Of course. We'll create a stuffed delight. With your way with crepes and my knowledge of seasonings, this will be the perfect meal!" said Kaori.

They both did their duty with gusto. As masters of their own culinary martial arts, nothing could stop them!

With Kasumi and Akane…

"I just want you to boil those noodles for me, okay Akane?" asked Kasumi.

"Isn't there anything else I can do, Kasumi?" asked Akane.

"No."

Akane's head drooped as she was given yet another menial task. That was just fine for Kasumi. Akane couldn't screw that up.

The youngest Tendo was waiting for the stiff noodles to go limp. She started to stir the boiling water and the noodles to speed up the process. However, it was taking too long for her tastes. Akane increased the stovetop temperature, then puts in a load of salt to have the water heat up faster. What she wound up doing was causing the water to be overly hot, reducing the stiff noodles limp, and into a pasty blob.

"Akane? How are those noodles coming?" asked Kasumi as she went to check up on Akane. She blanched at what she saw. "What happened here!?" She noted Akane holding the salt bin and gave her a look.

Akane laughs nervously. "Uh… I just wanted to speed it up…"

Kasumi said nothing as she took the pot and dumped the contents into the waste. She ordered Akane to go retrieve some replacement noodles.

'She REALLY needs to learn patience!'

Later…

After making the noodles, Kasumi gave Akane the instruction to cook the ground beef in the wok until it became brown, meaning well cooked. It must not be red in any place. As she was preparing to make tomato sauce, Akane once again tried to "revise" the recipe. She thought ground beef looked a little bland, so she took a nearby bottle (and as usual, not bothering to check what it was) and poured the contents in. Kasumi turned around and blanched to see what she was doing.

"AKANE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"

"What? I'm just adding white wine for flavor, Kasumi. See?" Akane showed Kasumi the bottle she was using. It was labeled 'salad oil'.

Ranma and Nodoka felt a sickening feeling of déjà vu when they saw the wok in front of Akane erupt into a geyser of flame.

"Akane! That was SALAD OIL!" shouted Kasumi as she ducked for cover.

Akane just screamed in terror as the flames shot up right in front of her.

This caught the attention of the audience, judges, and other contestants.

"My goodness! Something's gone wrong in the Kasumi/Akane station! This incident could possibly set them back! Will they recover?" announced Takeshi.

'It would be a miracle.' This was thought at the same time by Ranma, Bloom, Stella, Flora, Musa, Tecna, Layla, Nodoka, Shampoo, Cologne, Mousse, and the Pixies. In Ranma's Mindscape, even Sky, Brandon, Helia, Riven, Timmy, and Nabu thought the exact same thing.

Fortunately, the fire was quickly put out. The ground beef in the wok was cooked to a blackened crisp. Kasumi gazes at Akane with a disapproving look.

"I-I'm sorry, Kasumi…"

Kasumi held her face in her hand. She was starting to get at her wit's end.

With Shampoo and Ukyou…

"She really is Kitchen Destroyer…" said Shampoo.

"No kidding…" said Ukyou.

They quickly got back to work on their dish. Pulling out a large pan, Shampoo instructs Ukyou to pour a small layer of tomato meat sauce, the top it with a layer of those noodles. They top those noodles with more meat sauce, followed by the ricotta and mozzarella, then topped with another layer of noodles. They repeated this process until the pan was full and topped with a thick layer of mozzarella.

"Now we just place in oven and wait for it to cook." Said Shampoo.

"So what was this thing we made, Shampoo?" asked Ukyou.

"It something Shampoo recall from foreign recipe she got from fellow Amazon sister."

With Joe and Kaori…

"It is finished!" said Joe. He had completed his super customized manicotti shells, which were bigger than normal.

"Now all we need to do is fill and cook!" said Kaori as she finished preparing the ricotta and marinara.

"They almost feel like crepes." Said Joe. "Perfect!"

With Kasumi and Akane…

Kasumi felt like she was in a rut. This time, she commanded Akane to do nothing but boil water for the noodles.

"Is there anything else I can help with, Kasumi?" asked Akane.

"No there isn't, Akane. Just stick with your task." Replied Kasumi as she was working hard to make up for all of Akane's screw-ups.

The end of the round…

"And… TIME!" shouted Takeshi. "The Pasta Battle is over! It is now time for the contestants to present their entries to the judges!"

With Kasumi and Akane, the latter had wasted all of the spaghetti noodles, so Kasumi improvised with using fettuccini. It was a pasta dish topped with tomato meat sauce, Portobello mushrooms, oregano, mozzarella, and parmesan. Again, the portion was small, but the taste provided by Kasumi's skill was enough to miraculously pass them on to the final round, much to the shock of Ranma's group.

"That Kasumi girl's getting a lot of close calls, there." Said Stella.

"She would've done better without the excess baggage she's got…" said Ranma. "She's better off cooking alone."

On the stage, Akane sneezed.

The judging between the Joe/Kaori team and the Shampoo/Ukyou team started. Joe and Kaori's "Super Manicotti" looked very delicious and well-prepared. They were stuffed with beef meatballs and ricotta, then topped with marinara and parmesan. All three judges reveled in the taste, earning the team a high score.

"Look at that! Joe and Kaori's Super Manicotti has taken the judges' by the tongues! This could be a tough dish to top!" said Takeshi, causing said team to grin in triumph.

"You might as well just leave your dish in the kitchen, girls!" taunted Joe.

"Yeah! Victory's ours!" added Kaori.

"It's not over yet, you two!" said Ukyou.

She and Shampoo presented their dish to the judges. It was a large four-inch-deep pan filled with a delicacy a certain cartoon cat craves. They whisper something to Takeshi before cutting up and serving.

"People, this looks very good, indeed! They told me the name of this dish is the 'Luxurious Lasagna'! A four-inch tall Italian dish of multi-leveled goodness!"

The judges' eyes practically bugged out at seeing the servings in front of them. Almost immediately, they started to eat it, then soon started crying tears of joy.

"I've never tasted anything like it!" said Gambling King. "It feels like it melts right in my mouth!"

"Dis be best Gaijin-style cooking since Honolulu mahi-mahi!" said Principal Kuno.

"The texture of noodles combined with the sauces, meats, and cheese make my taste buds sing!" said Picolet.

After sampling the dish, the judges congregated on who's dish was better. Ukyou and Shampoo waited in anticipation while Kaori and Joe looked impatient.

"C'mon! It's pretty obvious who won this!" said Kaori.

The adopted sisters of Ranma glared at their opponents.

After some time, the three judges handed a note to Takeshi. Reading it over, he addresses the crowds. "The results are in, folks! From the look of it, this was a very close match! Both dishes were supurb, but there can only be one winner. The winners of this match are… Ukyou and Shampoo!"

"We did it!" said Ukyou.

"Aiyah!" said Shampoo.

Joe and Kaori were shocked.

"No! But how?" said Joe to the Heavens.

"I still need more training…" said Kaori, slumping in defeat.

At the stands, Ranma and the others cheered.

"This is getting very close!" said Lockette.

"It's now the final match-up." Said Nodoka.

They all looked over, seeing who the opponents were.

"I'm amazed that Kasumi and Akane made it to the final round." Said Ranma.

"I can tell it's mostly from Kasumi's effort." Said Tecna.

The time had finally come. At the center of the stage stood Takeshi. "This is it, folks! The moment you've all been waiting for! The final round of the Steel Chef Tag-Team Cook Off Tournament!" A resounding cheer rocked the foundation. "Sixteen teams have entered, only two have made it to the top! In this corner, we have the sister team of Kasumi and Akane Tendo!" The two sisters waved as Soun, Genma and Nabiki cheered for them. "So far, this team had managed to pull through the most dire of circumstances. They made little in the previous rounds, but the taste of the dishes more than made up for the lack of quantity serving! Little food, great taste! No surprise since Kasumi had been cooking for years now, meaning plenty of experience in the kitchen! Her younger sister, Akane, is her apprentice, but apparently, she's got a lot to learn." Akane growled at that statement. "Let's see how long their luck lasts in the final round!" Takeshi waited for the cheering to cease before continuing. "In this corner, we have the dynamic team of Ukyou Kuonji and Shampoo!" The two girls waved to the cheering crowds, mostly from Ranma's group. "They appear to be the fan favorites of this contest. You may know these two lovely ladies from two of the most popular dining establishments in Nerima, the Ucchan's and the Neko Haten! Both masters of their own culinary arts, they wowed the judges and even me with their delectable entrees in the previous rounds, proving their adaptability with cooking with what they've got! This will be quite a match!" The crowds cheered again. "Two teams, but only one winner! Who will come out on top and bring home the bacon? We shall soon find out!"

One huge covered table was rolled in between the two cooking stations. Each station was now bigger for the next round.

"The final round will be…" The covers were removed, revealing a mountain of food ingredients of all sorts: fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy, pasta, seasoning, everything a cook could possibly imagine. "… A FULL COURSE BATTLE! If you think 'luxury' this is certain to come up. This is what we yearn for! To make use of all the ingredients!! To exhaust all our culinary skills to their limits!! Connect each individual dish to make a path of culinary delight!! A path along our quest of culinary excellence… the path of redemption also must lie on the quest for culinary excellence… or so I believe!! Te Full Course Confront!! This is where we show our skills, our heart, and our pride!! Today we will have our great chefs bare their 'all' under the bright lights of our arena!!"

Both teams looked at the table with determined looks, trying to figure out what dishes to make with all the available foodstuffs.

"This is it, everyone, the final round." Said Flora.

"I have complete faith in those two." Said Bloom.

"Don't worry. Let's not forget that it's Akane they're going up against." Said Ranma. "I know that with her pride, she's going to do something to screw Kasumi and herself over."

The final two teams were in position. Takeshi took his stand. "This is the final battle! And… COOK!"

The Full Course Battle has now commenced.

Ukyou and Shampoo quickly grabbed their ingredients in record time and got back to their station. Kasumi had a bit of time deciding what to use while Akane just grabbed whatever.

"This would be a good time to pull out our specialties, eh, Shampoo?" said Ukyou.

"As good time as any!" said Shampoo.

Knowledgeable in their respective restaurant cuisines, they got to work.

Kasumi was busy with making some vegetable stir-fry. Akane was at the stove, putting some random foodstuffs in a pot and boiling it. The elder sister smelled something disgusting, then looked in Akane's direction.

"Akane, just what are you making there?"

"Just thought I'd try to make some beef stew, Kasumi."

Kasumi looked down at her sister's concoction and nearly blanched. She was certain stew wasn't supposed to be green, nor should it be pulsating. A huge bubble surfaced, and once it popped, it lets off a cloud of noxious fumes. Both sisters coughed at the stench.

"What happened? I don't think it was supposed to do that!" said Akane.

"Just what did you put in there!?"

"Actually, I don't even remember. I just threw in what looked good."

Kasumi felt like a migraine was coming. "Akane, this is no time to be experimenting recipes…"

Ukyou was tossing up her fried rice in the wok while adding the seasonings, soy sauce, and choice meats and vegetables to the mix. Shampoo washed some vegetables, tossed them up in the air, and diced them all with a kitchen knife, the pieces falling into place in a nearby bowl. She then went to work with making a batch of lo mein while Ukyou whipped up some sukiyaki after cooking her fried rice.

"Trying to create a full course meal under a time limit must be pretty difficult…" said Layla.

Bloom nodded. She recalled how she, Flora, Musa, and Tecna were given the duty of cooking omlettes for the whole student body of Alfea in her first year.

Kasumi was making some onigiri, wrapping the rice around some salted salmon, others with plum. Akane tries to imitate her sister, but was making them in a very sloppy manner.

"Akane, what did you put in those?" asked Kasumi.

"Oh! I thought the usual fish and fruit filling was bland, so to try and impress the judges, I put in a special paste I made from salmon and strawberry!" replied Akane.

Kasumi cringed when she saw the bowl Akane used to make her so-called paste. The bowl was a mess. She could also make out the tell-tale signs of bones and bits of fish heads. "Akane, have you even TRIED your … paste?"

"Huh? What for?" asked Akane, completely oblivious as to why she should.

"Sample it." It was more of a command than a request.

"All right, Kasumi. I don't see why it's so important that I-URK!!" Akane was cut off as she took a spoonful of her special paste and started to gag on it before vomiting it out in the waste bin.

Kasumi sighed again before continuing on another dish.

Shampoo and Ukyou had no troubles with fixing their meals. Already, Shampoo rounded up some General Tsao Chicken with dim sum, pork dumplings, and clay bowl rice. Ukyou put out a beef pot with chicken yakitori, takoyaki, and beef tataki.

Things looked grim for Kasumi and Akane.

In the stands…

"No no no Akane! Just follow Kasumi's instructions! Don't just go off on your own!" shouted Soun. Unfortunately, he wasn't heard.

"Forget it, Daddy. Akane's screwed us over…" Nabiki drolled. She then noticed that Genma was gone. "Huh? Where did Mr. Saotome go?"

Genma, using his Umisenken technique, snuck up behind the kitchen station of Shampoo and Ukyou. He decided to give Kasumi and Akane a hand in winning the contest. Because of Akane's culinary disasters, it will take a miracle to beat Ranma's adopted sisters. Therefore, he figured if they were out of the running, then the Tendo Sisters would win by default. Armed with a water gun, he took aim above them and opened fire.

Shampoo and Ukyou yelped when the water hit them. The crowds were confused when the two girls suddenly disappeared from the station. Genma didn't expect Ukyou to be cursed as well, but it couldn't have worked out more perfectly! With both contestants in their cursed forms, they could get disqualified! With that thought, he quickly gets back to his seat.

"What is this? Contestants Shampoo and Ukyou have vanished?" said Takeshi. Genma smirked at his handi-work.

"Saotome? Did you do that?" asked Soun when Genma appeared.

"No worries, Tendo! In their cursed forms, they can't possibly continue on!" said Genma. First prize will be his- er- theirs!

Ranma and his party were angry at what had happened.

"That cheating bastard!" said Ranma. He and the others were able to track Genma's movements because of their ki/magical senses.

"He's not playing fair!" said Tune.

"I think it's time I had a chat with my husband…" said Nodoka as she got up from her seat.

"This is bad…" said Bloom. "We've got to help somehow!"

Ranma was about to agree, when he sensed something from the empty station. He smiled a bit, realizing what was happening. "Oh right, I forgot what they had gained from our visit to Lyco!"

Thw Winx girls looked confused as to what Ranma was talking about, but looked ahead to see something incredible.

Neko-Shampoo and Kitsune-Ukyou focused their ki. There was no way they could cook in their current forms, so they were going to change.

"Something's happening at the station of the Ukyou/Shampoo team!" announced Takeshi. This drew the attention of everyone. They heard what sounded like howling, and to their surprise (minus Ranma and the Winx), Shampoo and Ukyou emerged in their were-forms. This got all of the male audience to drool, and not because of the food. "What is this? The Shampoo/Ukyou team are… cosplaying as a catgirl and foxgirl?" Kasumi and Akane were shocked at the two girls' transformations. In the stands, Soun, Genma, and Nabiki were speechless. Without pausing, Were-Shampoo and Were-Ukyou resumed their cooking. After a moment, the people cheered them on after that bit of show. "Incredible! They're still cooking after a change in wardrobe! I've never seen anything like it!"

Ranma and his group smiled.

"Impossible!" said Genma.

"Your ploy failed, Saotome!" said Soun angrily.

"No problem! I'll soon remedy that!" said Genma as he used his Umisenken again.

Just as he was about to approach the station of the two lycanthropes, he was suddenly frozen in place by a certain faerie woman.

"Just WHAT do you think you're doing, HUSBAND?" asked a more than annoyed Nodoka.

Genma lets out an audible gulp.

At the stage…

"Those perverts! They think they can sway votes with sex appeal!?" said Akane. As she said this, she puts in too much lemon in her sukiyaki dish by accidentally crushing it in her hands.

"Never mind that, Akane! Why are you putting lemon in there!?" said Kasumi.

"I thought it would add to the flavor…"

Both Were-Shampoo and Were-Ukyou were cooking at a far more efficient rate than in their human modes. Thanks to their lycanthrope forms, their speed, reflex, and sense of smell increased by a wide margin. Speed and reflex for preparing the food, and smell to determine if they've gotten the right amounts of ingredients mixed in. Whatever dishes that needed the stovetop when unavailable, they'd heat under their own power using their ki. They had discovered that their were-forms also provided some pyrokinetic abilities (or from their bodies' natural "hotness"). The supporting cheers and cat-calls contributed to their efforts as well. Considering they now looked extremely sexy with their enhanced figures and scanty fur lines, it was perfectly understandable.

Nodoka came back and took her seat next to Ranma.

"So no more surprised from Pop, Mom?" asked Ranma.

"No, Son." Replied Nodoka. "He's a bit tied up at the moment."

Behind the stands, a bruised and beaten Genma was laid out hog-tied with an energy rope, which will dispel once the contest was over. There will be no further interference, not that it would do the Tendo team any good.

Were-Ukyou was immediately preparing several varieties of her trademark okonomiyai dishes while Were-Shampoo worked on the home specialties of the Neko Haten. Their table was soon piled with a variety of meals.

At Kasumi and Akane's table, they barely had half of it filled, mostly due to Akane's 'contributions' being tossed.

"Hey Kasumi? How does this taste?" asked Akane as she took out a spoonful of her 'fried surprise'.

Kasumi looked nervous at the dish Akane got it from. She recognized it as one of her mother's secret dishes. "A-Akane, isn't that one of Mother's secret recipes?" (7)

"It is, actually!" Akane smiled. "I thought one of her dishes would definitely win us some points!"

The eldest Tendo cringed. It was her Mother's dish, but has been bastardized by Akane's less-than-satisfactory cooking skills. "Akane, I don't think that-"

"Please, Kasumi? Just one bite? I need an honest outside opinion on this!" pleaded Akane.

"But it doesn't-" Kasumi was cut off when Akane shoved the spoon in her mouth. By reflex, she swallowed.

Big mistake.

Kasumi lost the color in her face, followed by her vision blurring. She felt a bit of nausea coming and a heavy dizzy spell.

In the stands, Soun and Nabiki let off a "NOOOOOOOooooooooooo…." in slow motion.

"Well? Do you like it?" Akane asked stupidly.

Kasumi answered by immediately passing out, their chances of winning falling with her.

"Kasumi? Kasumi?"

"Oh my! Something has happened over at the Tendo sisters' station!" said Takeshi.

Ranma's party looked worried. The pigtailed boy could only say one thing.

"Well, they're screwed."

They all nodded in agreement.

Akane panicked. With Kasumi out of the picture, and time being almost up, she decided to take matters into her own hands.

'Don't worry, Kasumi! I won't let you down! You just leave everything to me!'

She had no idea how deep a hole she's digging herself into.

Later…

Kasumi had finally woken up after being force-sampled Akane's food. "What happened…?"

"Kasumi! I'm glad you're back!" said Akane. "Look at all the food I've prepared!"

Kasumi looked shocked at the table. Akane's cuisines looked anything but delicious. Chicken wasn't supposed to come out green, the miso soup wasn't supposed to change color every few seconds, the flan shouldn't pulsate like that, and she was definitely sure that the oden wasn't supposed to move. The worst thing was, that was only what she was able to recognize. The rest of Akane's cooking couldn't even be identified by human standards. All in all, it looked like something taken out of a landfill.

"Doesn't it look great?" asked Akane. "And just before the time limit, too!"

Kasumi didn't hear her, as she was inwardly screaming in horror.

"And… TIME!"

The Full Course Battle has ended.

"It is now the moment of truth! Each team, please roll in their meal tables to the judges!"

Were-Shampoo and Were-Ukyou rolled their table to the three judges while Akane rolled in her table. Kasumi followed behind timidly.

"We have here two sets of meals for our esteemed judges to sample." Said Takeshi. He and the three judges then gave questionable looks to the Tendo table's contents. "Er… first, they shall sample the meal of the Shampoo/Ukyou team!"

Their table was full of delicacies of all kinds: fried rice, salad, lo mein, sukiyaki with marbled beef, General Tsao, dim sum, pork dumplings, clay bowl rice, beef pot, chicken yakitori, beef tataki, ramen specials, okonomiyaki specials, and a chocolate cheesecake. It was like one big buffet.

"Folks, this looks like a real prize-winning feast right here! Like something out of a dream!" said Takeshi as the two lycanthrope girls served the food to the judges. "And such service, too!"

After a few moment of sampling everything (Picolet taking less time due to his speed-eating), they all cried tears of joy.

"Delicious! Incredible! Tres magnifique! It's as if I'm eating from the very lap of luxury itself!" said Picolet.

"Dis be too beautiful for words, ya! Me never tasted anything better!" said Principal Kuno.

"This food is like a dream! I can hardly believe it to be made by mortal hands!" said Gambling King.

"And there you have it! From the judges' reactions, it's safe to say that these two lovely ladies have gotten a perfect score! That will be very tough to beat, indeed!"

The crowds cheered at the evaluation. Takeshi waited for them to cease.

"Now then, with that out of the way, let's see how the Tendo team responds to their full course meal!"

Akane struts up with confidence with her table of 'goodies'. One look at the 'food' there caused the judges' faces to twist in disgust. She serves them all a sample of each dish. Looking at the food, the three judges' got extremely edgy.

It took a while, but with conviction, they each sampled a different dish. Their previous entries tasted great. Maybe this one just looked disgusting. Boy were they wrong…

At the same time, all three judges' eyes snapped open after taking just a spoonful of Akane's food. Their faces fluctuated in colors as their cheeks bulged out. Quickly ducking their heads under the table, loud vomiting sounds were heard. While that was going on, a large puddle of an unknown substance started to pool out from underneath the table. Were-Ukyou and Were-Shampoo quickly jumped away with their table to avoid the disgusting mess being created. Picolet, Principal Kuno, and Gambling King emerged looking no better. All three clutched at their stomachs in pain, then finally fell flat on their backs in which they start to go into spasms. Vomit pours out the sides of their mouths.

Everyone in the area looked horrified at the sight, except Akane, who just looked clueless.

"WHAT IS THIS!? I FEEL LIKE I'VE BEEN POISONED!" shouted Picolet through his vomiting fits. "MON DIEU! IT EES UNBEARABLE!"

To the horror and disgust of all those who were watching, Picolet's froglike tongue began dangling out of his mouth and twitched about. His body trembled uncontrollably as his eyes rolled about. He then managed to raise an arm and pointed an accusing finger at Akane.

"You... you... ASSASSIN! This... was a PLOT... to end the Chardin Family! If I could... I would.... (gasp) send you to le guillotine!"

"Me gonna die… me gonna die… somebody help…" whimpered Principal Kuno. Then he suddenly sat straight up and let off a cry of absolute anguish.

"AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

A huge gout of flame erupted from his mouth, putting the Mauna Loa volcano of Hawaii to shame. His limbs flailed about, as hot steam came out from his nostrils and ears. His skin turned red, then dark blue, then purple, then... yellow with red polka dots? Finally, he toppled backward onto the stage floor.

"I've gambled with my life… and lost…" groaned Gambling King. To the astonishment of all those present, the curls in his beard actually STRAIGHTENED out and trembled like leaves. His fancy clothes were soiled by his own vomit and the playing cards he had hidden away fell to the floor. He started to hallucinate and instead of seeing stars, he beheld clubs, diamonds, hearts and spades.

Akane was insulted. "What!? My cooking isn't bad!"

"You're right, young lady, it's LIFE-THREATENING!" retorted Picolet. "MEDIC!!!"

Fortunately, there were paramedics on standby in case of possible food-poisoning. The three unfortunate judges were carried out on stretchers to be transported to immediate help. They'd be lucky to not go into cardiac arrest.

"Uh… well… everyone… I think we all have a winner here…" Takeshi looks between the two teams. "UKYOU KUONJI AND SHAMPOO!"

"YATTA!"

Were-Ukyou and Were-Shampoo high-fived each other in their victory as the crowds cheered them on and gave a standing ovation.

Kasumi slumped her head in shame and defeat.

"THIS ISN'T FAIR! I DEMAND A RECOUNT!" shouted Akane. "THOSE BIMBOS MUST'VE BRIBED THE JUDGES! THEY'VE GOT NO TASTE!"

Takeshi held up a hand in front of the sore loser. "Your entrees sent three people to the hospital. The results are obvious. Enough said."

"WHY YOU-"

"AKANE! That's enough!" Akane cringed at hearing Kasumi's forceful tone. "You'll take this defeat gracefully. When we get back, you and I are going to have a very long talk…"

"But I didn't-" Akane started.

"You're coming home now, Akane! I won't have you embarrass our family any more than you have today!"

"But Kasumi.... OW! OW! OW!"

It was quite a scene to see the violent Akane being pulled by the ear by her elder sister.

Though she kept a stern appearance, inwardly Kasumi wept after seeing her mother's precious recipes being turned into grotesque mockeries by her sister's inability to grasp cooking basics. She silently promised to her mother in heaven that Akane would never again set foot in their kitchen at home. (8)

Takeshi Yarma walks up to the two winners. "Congratulations on your win, ladies! You have proven your skills and culinary prowess! You are both truly Steel Chefs!"

"We couldn't have done it without the support of our family and friends, Takeshi!" said Were-Ukyou.

"I also noticed your performance increased after you went and cosplayed as were-creatures. How could a change of outfits cause such a drastic change?" asked Takeshi.

"Errr… gives us animal instinct?" Shampoo answered sheepishly.

They all laughed. Soon, they were joined by Ranma, Nodoka, Bloom, Stella, Flora, Musa, Tecna, Layla, Cologne, and Mousse.

"Amazing, Shampoo! You and Ukyou won! I've had no doubt!" said Mousse.

"You both did me proud." Said Cologne.

"Alright, girls! Hoo-yeah!" cheered Stella.

"Well, you just won a million yen, a year supply of food, and out mystery prize!" said Takeshi. He gestures to the question-marked curtain from earlier. The show ladies pulled the curtains back, revealing… "A deluxe music set!"

They looked in awe at the instruments: two electric guitars, a bass guitar, a drum set, a key board, a saxophone, microphones, and a soundboard.

"This… is so awesome!" said an excited Musa.

"And this ends the Steel Chef Tag-Team Cook Off Tournament, victory going to the lovely team of Ukyou Kuonji and Shampoo! It looks like they shall be having fun with their prizes. This is Takeshi Yarma, bidding you all a good night, and happy eatings!"

The scene ends with the camera iris closing on him.

Saotome complex…

Nodoka had all the prized food stored away in a subspace pocket in the fridge and the million yen deposited. She figured she'd find a use for it later on.

"This is some pretty cool stuff!" said Ranma as he played with one of the electric guitars.

"I never would've imagined that we'd get such a mystery prize as this!" said Bloom.

"I feel like wanting to try this stuff out." Said Layla.

"Why not? Maybe you can start a band or something." Said Ukyou.

"You know, that's not a bad idea!" said Musa.

"That actually sounds kind of fun!" said Flora.

It was then that Nodoka had dinner ready.

"Later, girls. For now, let's eat!" said Ranma as he rushed to the table.

The girls looked at him with confused expressions.

"After today, how can he be thinking about food?" asked Stella.

Shampoo smiled. "That just way Ranma is."

They soon joined the two Saotomes at the table.

To be continued…

Ending (Ranma ½ season 3 style, 'Lambada Ranma'. I've decided to take a few liberties in changing the lyrics in order to suit the current story and setting of where Ranma Club takes place)

Several empty canvas paintings line the background, six of them encircling the lone seventh one. Bloom, Stella, Flora, Musa, Tecna, and Layla pop up from her canvas.

Bloom: Welcome to Ranma's earth home!

All: He learned some new tricks!

Bloom: He's trained real hard, and now he's back!

All: From Magix!

Ranma pops up in the center canvas.

Ranma: Although I know magic

Get splashed, I'm still in panic

Ranma gets splashed and becomes Ranma-chan.

Ranma-chan: He turns to she, and all hope for normal life becomes moot!

All: Ranma's new magical life!

The background blanks out, then shows Kiko rising up. He yawns, then panics and ducks down as a portrait flies in.

Ranma!

Ranma: "However, I'm a martial artist first, and a magic-user second."

Bloom!

Bloom: "So how did you enjoy your first day at Alfea, Ranma?"

Stella!

Stella: "Oh come on! When you've got it, you flaunt it!"

Flora: "Do you like what you see?"

Flora!

Ranma!

Ranma-chan: "I guess I'd have to say that it was quite enjoyable."

Musa!

Musa: "C'mon! This could be fun!"

Tecna!

Tecna: "Well, as you know, technology is my forte."

Layla: "You won't catch me that easily, Ranma!"

Layla!

Nodoka!

Nodoka: "Ranma, the truth is, you've actually got six souls."

Ukyou!

Ukyou: "In any case, thanks for giving us these clothes, Stella."

Shampoo!

Shampoo: "Ranma… is true? You is faerie?"

Kiko: *pretends to use one of his ears like a guitar.*

Kiko!

The seven canvas portraits from before pop in.

Bloom: Welcome to Ranma's earth home!

All: He learned some new tricks!

Bloom: He's trained real hard, and now he's back!

All: From Magix!

Ranma pops up in the center canvas.

Ranma: Although I know magic

Get splashed, I'm still in panic

Ranma gets splashed and becomes Ranma-chan.

Ranma-chan: He turns to she, and all hope for normal life becomes moot!

All: Ranma's new magical life!

End ending

Preview…

Ranma: Ahhh! That was delicious!

Bloom: With the Steel Chef contest behind us, it's back to the usual routine.

Stella: Hold on! The wheel! The wheel!

Zing: Whoops! Can't forget that, can we?

Flora: Oh my goodness! Is it my turn already? I feel so anxious!

Ranma: Something wrong, Flora?

Flora: N-nothing! Next time, on Ranma Club, 'Natural! Flora Takes Initiative!' Oh Ranma… I just want to be with you like this…

Author's notes:

Man! This has got to be one of my longer chapters! I had to do a little research on cuisine dishes to get this written right! Though I have to admit, describing Akane's screw-ups in the kitchen was fun.

(1)Classic Ranma line!

(2)Same thing Ukyou said when she first showed up at Furinkan in the anime.

(3)I've been wondering this myself, actually.

(4)There was a $100,000 cash prize for Iron Chef, so I put in the yen equivalent.

(5)Think the stone floor used in the Budokai Tournament or the Cell Games in DBZ.

(6)Parody of Takeshi Kaga from Iron Chef and Food God/Prince of Darkness Yarma from Star Ocean 2.

(7)The same dish she forced Ranma, Genma, and Soun to eat in the OAV ep where Nodoka comes to visit. It looked and tasted like crap then, and it still does now.

(8)A little revision from AnimeAddiction, the Master of Crossovers.

TheLordOfPages1692: You'll read through this one before making a review this time, yes? I ddin't put up a Rai vs. 4Kids rant last chapter because I was being pressed for time. Plus, it's kinda hard to keep track of the ones I DID post… As for the lyrics, I just go to to get the words and translations, then look them up on youtube for a preview and decide if it suits the mood. And yes, I've seen Hellsing, Death Note, and NGE. Their songs will have to wait until they're back in Magix where the true dangers lie (or if something just as bad happens somewhere on earth…). Currently all the troubles in Nerima are just annoyances.

Chm01: I'll have to check that out. I kinda liked the first opening, ASTERISK, myself. Very cool!

Dumbledork: I don't know about that. Ranma did have his own image song, and also sang in the Hard Battle ending theme.

Andrew9000: Glad you like it.

Cabrera1234: Someone did mention that Musa's first transformation had a bit of DDR step in it, of course, those assholes of 4Kids shortened the sequence, cutting that bit out.

PEJP Bengtzone: I've actually read Ranma Muyo. Pretty good read. Thing is, Diaspro, Cassandra, and Chimera were magical to begin with. The Kunos, Genma, Soun, and Akane would be all but useless for Valtor.

7 Winds: Greed is a bad thing, isn't it?

Bloomforever: Sorry it took so long. To your liking?

God of all: Glad this is now a favorite of yours! I actually didn't expect this fic to get a following, actually. It was merely something I toyed with.

Jerry Unipeg: Nabiki strikes, but struck out again.

Nysk: Yeah, it is too early for Nabiki to give up.

OBSERVER01: Oh? And who do you suggest to give it to her?

Kidcrud: You'll be getting a heaping serving of Rai vs. 4Kids ranting a few lines down, to make up for the one I didn't post last chapter.

Erick Genryusai: Remember that the Winx girls had given themselves last names: Bloom Domino, Stella Solaria, Flora Linphea, Musa Melody, Tecna Zenith, and Layla Andros. The dramatic songs will have to wait for the proper chapters.

Princess Asuna: No doubt, Ryoga will always blame Ranma for all his misfortunes, whether he was involved or not. That's a given fact.

I was pressed for time on the last chapter, so I bring once again…

RAI vs. 4KIDS RANT!

Some things that I can't stand are pointless rearrangements of scenes. Case in point: episode 1 of season 1, A Fairy Comes to Gardenia (US: It Feels Like Magic).

4Kids:

It starts out with Bloom immediately going to the park where she meets Stella, then goes to the next day where she wakes up in a hurry, then her talking with her folks before heading out and running into Mitzy, then back home to a waking Stella.

Rai:

It started out with Bloom waking in a hurry, then speaks with her folks where she gets presented her bike (4Kids cut this whole scene out.), then she runs into Mitzy, THEN she goes to the park where she meets Stella, THEN to a waking Stella in her home.

Bloom's Waking Scene.

4Kids: (this scene should have occurred at the start of the episode and is cut in half in this edit)
Vanessa: Fairies? Bloom hasn't read that book since she was little! Rise and shine princess, a beautiful day awaits. You know, that used to be your favorite book, you used to pretend that you were a fairy; you could do it for hours. So who's the girl downstairs who's fast asleep… in the guest room?
Bloom: Ah, so it wasn't a dream. And she's still asleep? Err, she's…W---'s cousin (I can't tell what she said) and she's visiting from far away. Don't wake her up, OK mom?
Vanessa: Come on downstairs for breakfast!

Rai: (this scene is where it should be)

(When the scene zooms into Gardenia, it cuts to Bloom's room, specifically her sketch desk where she has a perfect sketch of the town pinned up on a board, then goes to her bed.)
Vanessa: Wake up sleepyhead, the sun's been up for ages!
Bloom: Just 5 more minutes, Mom!?
Vanessa: You're late Bloom!
Bloom: School?!?!? Oh no! Why didn't you wake me up before, ooh the alarm didn't go off. Oh noo, I can't believe this…. hang on, school's out, the alarm didn't go off because I'm on vacation, oh Mom, you're joking's not funny.
Vanessa: Bloom, ah but you fell for it didn't you?
Bloom: I'm sleepy; I'm going back to bed!
Vanessa: You should try to go to bed earlier you know. You were up really late last night!
Bloom: I was reading!
Vanessa: "Fairies: Myth or Reality?" Uhh... don't you ever get tired of these silly things?
Bloom: They're not silly, OK!?
Vanessa: Huh, actually, now that school is over, you can help me in the shop!
Bloom: Nooooo!

4Kids doesn't bother telling of Bloom being a sketch artist, which was kinda important. Way to go…

Breakfast Scene:

4Kids: (the dialogue was completely re-written to suit the new location of this scene)
Mike: Hey Bloom... today's the day we're gonna clean up the garage. (The text on his newspaper has been edited into straight lines…. dumb and a waste of time!)
Bloom: C'mon Dad, I have lots of other stuff I have to do, lots of important stuff!
Mike: What sort of stuff are you talking about?
Do you remember when I was into Fairies and Witches dad?
Mike: Of course I do. You were so cute, always pretending to know magic.
Bloom: Well, here's the thing..
Mike: …if you knew magic, you could just wave a wand and the garage would clean itself! (I hate over-emphasis…)
Bloom: Well that's kinda… the thing that I wanted to talk to you about. You know my friend, the one that's asleep in the guest room?
Vanessa: Oh just give her a break honey; she wants to spend the day with her friend!
Mike: OK, you get the groceries and you're free for the rest of the day!
Bloom: You guys are the best! Thank you! (Runs off)

Rai: (how this scene should go)
Mike: Good morning sunshine.
Bloom: I'm not going to spend my summer working in the shop; I wish I could go somewhere fun with my friends!
Mike: When you're older you can go wherever you want!
Bloom: How old is older? I'm already sixteen Dad!
Mike: Only sixteen, you are still my little girl.
Bloom: Dad, it's not fair!
Mike: Listen, in a few weeks we'll all be going to the beach like we do every year.
Bloom: But all my friends go on holidays by themselves! That would have been the best present ever!!
Vanessa: Well, speaking of presents, we've got a little surprise for you!
Mike: Yeah, just a little something to help you get around Gardenia.
Bloom: Really? Thanks dad! (Runs outside)

(The following part gets cut out by the assholes known as 4Kids)

Bloom: (runs out the door to see her surprise, which was a bike.)

Mike: Nice, huh?

Bloom: (trying to hide her disappointment) Uhh… well… yeah… thanks. (She walks over to her new bike and goes off, obviously disappointed that her surprise wasn't something cooler)

Mike: (to Vanessa) See? She doesn't know what to say!

Vanessa: I don't know, maybe she was expecting something a bit more… sophisticated?

Mike: A bicycle with a speedometer, maybe?

Vanessa: A scooter, Mike!

Mike: But scooters are dangerous, and they cost a bundle!

Vanessa: We'll try to put some money aside. Maybe next year, we can get her one.

I swear, 4Kids has this thing about jumping straight to the point of things by showing spoilers early on. Already in the first 40 seconds of starting the 4Kids ep, Bloom already witnesses Stella's fight with Knut (that's gotta be a record…). Rai took nearly a full 4 minutes for Bloom to first see Stella. No joke. I timed it. It's like when you watch a movie, it already tells you what the plot twist is in the first five minutes of beginning when it was supposed to have been in the last ten.

No respect for plot build-up...

In same ep, 4Kids cut out the part where Kiko was trying to avoid the ghouls by snooping around in a cooking pot. Bloom picks it up in a way to show Kiko inside, looking terrified. She then accidentally dropped the pot and it rolls away, carrying Kiko with it. Quite a funny moment, actually. Why was this cut?

Another episode that suffered the scene arrangement butchering was first ep of season 2: The Shadow Phoenix (US: Back to School) where we are first introduced to Layla as she breaks into Shadowhaunt.

4Kids: Episode starts off with Bloom at Alfea and meeting up with the other girls after returning for 2nd year. Then she finds the hidden library where she meets Concorta the pixie. For some reason, they made her like a fortune teller and she shows Bloom the whole scene with Layla breaking into Shadowhaunt. She goes on to tell Bloom that she will meet Layla later on. Nice, 4Kids, do a spoiler in the beginning, why don't you?

Rai: The episode IMMEDIATELY starts off with Layla breaking into Shadowhaunt to rescue the pixies. The scene with Bloom in Alfea doesn't come until later on. Concorta doesn't do that fortune-teller bull, but rather explain to Bloom about pixies since this was the first time Bloom's ever encountered one as well as the pixie pets there. Bloom and the others don't even get a mention of Layla until she arrives at Alfea barely alive at the end of the episode.

Meeting Layla…

4Kids:

Flora: "Bloom, I sense a strange disturbance…"

Bloom: "Where?"

Flora: "It's coming from the East Woods…"

Stella: "That was the best party ev- hey, where're you going, Bloom?"

Bloom: (sees Layla limping through the woods) "Look!" (Layla gets to Bloom, standing on sheer willpower) "Hey, are you okay?" (Layla collapses.)

Musa: "Is she okay, Bloom?"

Tecna: (sends out her robo bug to scan Layla) "I've upgraded my PBA. I'll have it do a magi-scan." (recalls bug and looks at results.) "She's a princess! From the Realm of Tides!" (It's Andros…)

Bloom: (cradles Layla) "Come on! Please wake up!"

Stella: (Piff bounces out.) "Eeeee! What is that?"

Bloom: "It's a baby Pixie!" (picks up Piff) "She's so sleepy. Gasp!" (looks at Layla) "This is just like the psychic said! 'A fairy with long flowing hair and a sleepy baby Pixie'!" (lame prophecy…)

Musa: "What else did she say?" (Musa wasn't even supposed to speak here…)

Bloom: "That there's going to be adventure and darkness like nothing we've ever seen before…" (lame prophecy part 2…)

Rai:

Flora: "Hey Bloom…"

Bloom: "Yes?"

Flora: "Something's wrong with the trees…"

Stella: "Bye, guys!" (sees Bloom walking off) "What are you doing? Where're you going?"

Bloom: (sees Layla limping through the woods. Bloom gasps in horror as Layla approaches her, standing on sheer willpower) "My! Are you okay!?" (Layla collapses)

(cut from 4Kids was a panning shot of the rest of the girls' scared reactions)

Musa: "Bloom, is she all right?"

Tecna: "Hmmm…" (sends out her robo bug to scan Layla, then recalls it to look at the diagnostic) "She's fine. She's just exhausted." (checking her condition WOULD take priority over checking her identity in a situation like this, doesn't it?)

Bloom: (cradles Layla) "Come on, wake up… come on, come on…"

Stella: (Piff bounces out) "Eeeee! What is that?"

Bloom: "It looks like…" (picks up Piff) "… a Pixie! It is! It's a Pixie!" (looks at Layla) "But why would she have a Pixie? Who is this girl? What could've happened to her?" (this makes for a better cliff-hanger than that psychic reading crap 4Kids threw in for no reason)

The pixies in 4Kids were barely tolerable, being annoying by having them overemphasize on everything because of their names (case in point, Chatta, making her talk way too much and not knowing when to shut up). They were a lot better in the Rai version where they're more subtle.

See you all next chapter!