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!

50. Action! I Give My All for the Stage!

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

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

Chapter 43: Action! I Give My All for the Stage!

Saotome Complex…

In the large guestroom the Winx girls were sharing, the Faeries were looking through some of Bloom's old books.

"So this is how faeries are portrayed on Earth?" asked Flora as she read through a story.

"Most of the time." Replied Bloom. "Other stories tell things differently."

"I recall something like this happening on Andros!" said Layla as she read a book.

"How typical, there's no mention of tech in these stories, but they're still good regardless." Said Tecna.

"Oh yes, do it! Wake her up!" said Stella as she read a certain story.

"Hey Stella, keep it down! Some of us are trying to read here, too, you know!" said Musa.

"Sorry, it's just that this one seemed so enthralling to me."

"You like the books, you ought to see the movie adaptations." Said Bloom. "Some may not follow the story completely, but the changes can be good as well. Sometimes schools would do plays on these, too."

"Seriously? I wonder if Furinkan does that?" wondered Musa.

Back porch…

Nodoka and Ranma were sitting on the porch looking out into the yard as they sipped some green tea.

"Seems you and the girls are getting along well, Son." Said Nodoka.

"C'mon, Mom, you're embarrassing me…" said Ranma and he turned red in the face.

Nodoka could only chuckle at her son's reaction. "Now now, Ranma, there's nothing wrong with that. They've managed to adjust here thanks to you."

"Well it's not like they're not capable of handling themselves. After all, they fight non-humans on a daily basis."

"That may be true, but that doesn't mean they don't appreciate you. You just keep it up. I have a feeling something will happen soon with you and the students."

"What makes you say that?"

"Call it a mother's intuition."

Opening (Princess Tutu style, "Morning Grace")

The music starts as water drops on the ground. Panning up to show the 'Ranma Club' title. It zoomed in on Furinkan's auditorium.

Yonde iru koe saa me o samashite (A voice is calling, come, open your eyes)

Bloom and Stella are seen in their Enchantix forms as they appeared to be in a trance.

Nakigao nugutte (Wipe the tear stained face)
Mabushii hikari kigi no tsuyu (A radiant light and the dew of the trees)
Umareru (are born)

Flora, Musa, Tecna, and Layla are in their Enchantix forms and were also in a state of trance as the camera pans past them.

Dare mo shiranai himitsu no mizube de (At the secret waterside that no one knows of)
Odore inochi no PA DO DU (pas de deux) (Dance the pas de deux of life)
Kyou mo yume miteru (I dream of today again)

It pans past some curtains and show the shadow silhouettes of Neko-Shampoo and Kitsune-Ukyou. They stood up and their forms turn to that of their lycanthrope modes. It then showed Ranma-chan and Ranma both mirrored and looking up into the night sky. Images of Mousse and Kasumi pan upward behind them.

Sore wa yasashiku hageshii nagare ne (It is a gentle, yet violent, current)
Doko made tsuzuku RABIRINSU (How far does this labyrinth go on?)
Watashi wa yukou (I will go)
Nigirishimeru yume (And tightly grasp onto my dreams)

Ranma-chan sits in the darkness as a spotlight shines down on him. She slowly gets up and runs, umping up to transform to her Faerie-mode.

Ranma, the Winx, and the three Nerima martial artis were all dancing in synce, then circled about Ranma as the spotlight shone on them.

End opening

School had been relatively uneventful the past few days, aside from the usual unwanted advances of Kuno, who would get painfully rejected each and every time. Happosai would also get painfully ejected whenever he gets caught on the grounds trying to harass the girls, mainly the Winx.

School auditorium…

Ranma and the Winx were summoned to the auditorium by the school drama club. With them were Shampoo, Ukyou, and Mousse. Before them were the drama club members.

"Could you run that by me again?" asked Ranma.

The club head, a young man dressed like an old-style shogun of Feudal Japan and holding a folding fan, stepped forward. "We, the drama club, would like to ask you all to perform in a play for us."

"Huh? A play?" asked Bloom. She remembered a school play she once did back in middle school.

"Exactly! We've decided on a story to use, and due to the content, we figured you girls would be perfect for the roles!"

"How so?" asked Tecna.

"Well, this story is a fantasy setting, and due to your, uh, 'uniqueness'…" The Winx girls blushed at that since they HAD been seen using magic, mostly thanks to Kuno who simply refused to take the hint. "We immediately thought of you girls."

'Hmmm… so it's not a Shakespeare thing this time, huh…' Ranma thought to himself. He cringed as he remembered the disaster of that Romeo and Juliet play he did long ago. He had impulsively taken part after hearing that the winners of the drama festival would get to 'see China'. Had he had known it was just a stage name for some Chinese actor and not the actual country, he never would've bothered.

"Well I suppose that makes sense." Said Musa.

"What exactly is this play?" asked Flora.

"It's called 'The Eight Elementals'." Replied the club leader. "The story is about a land being overrun by an evil force, but one man, Ryuji, stands up to face it. He can't do it alone, and so he must gain the help of eight elemental spirits to help him out. He sets out on a journey to find and seal pacts with them before facing the source of darkness."

"Interesting, that sounds much like an RPG I played once." Mused Tecna.

"I'm guessing these elementals are female, right?" asked Ranma.

"That's right, and that's where you girls come in." replied the club leader.

"Hold it. There're eight elementals, right? There're only six of them." Ukyou pointed out.

"Yes, that's right. There's also the two of you as well."

"Huh? You mean us?" asked a surprised Shampoo.

"That's right! I think it would be perfect!" said Flora.

"I don't know. I've never done something like this before." Said Ukyou.

"Shampoo, too." Added Shampoo.

"Come on, you two. This could be fun!" said Layla.

"I think you two should go for it." Said Mousse.

"You really think so?" asked Ukyou.

"Well it's not like something like this happens all the time."

"Okay, Shampoo in!" said Shampoo.

"Me, too!" added Ukyou.

"Oh thank you! Then it's settled!" said the club head.

It was then someone jumped at Bloom.

"Let us be-!"

"AAAAH!"

On reflex, Bloom thrust her hand forth and fires an instantaneous explosion of flame at her assailant, causing him to plop to the floor all charred. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Kuno.

"Kuno…?" said Bloom, looking upon the burnt kendoist. She was surprised when he suddenly turned up his face to look at them.

"Call me Ryuji, my lovely flame!"

"Hold on! Who said you got the part?" said the club leader.

Kuno scoffs and throws a note to the club leader. He catches and reads the "Permission to join" notice on the front.

"This is a part I am destined for!" said Kuno.

The girls all looked disgusted.

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

Everyone cringed at the familiar laughter, coupled with a blowing if several womens' undergarments. A pair of panties falls in the hand of the club leader, who noticed the words "Permission to join" marked on them.

"Oh no, it's the freak…" said Ranma.

'Odd, this all seems familiar…' thought the club leader.

Stepping into the auditorium was Happosai. "I admit, I may be too old to participate in a school play. Embarrassing, maybe. Challenging, perhaps. But if it means being near these lovelies, then HERE I COME!"

The girls screamed when Happosai jumped at them. Before he could get close, he gets stomped flat onto the floor by Diamond Brandon.

"Don't think so, freak…" said Ranma darkly.

Saotome complex…

In the living room, Ranma and the girls were looking through copies of the script provided to them by the drama club.

"This is quite the interesting story." Said Flora.

"It definitely is." Bloom agreed. "An ancient evil known as Zantov arises to lay waste over a peaceful land, where monsters run rampant and chaos reigns to torment humanity. One young man, Ryuji, sets out on a quest to rid the world of Zantov. He knew he would need help in his journey, so he seeks out the eight Elementals. They are spiritual maidens representing the elements: Terra the Earth, Ignis the Fire, Venta the Wind, Aquaris the Water, Fulgurio the Lightning, Gelus the Ice, Lumina the Light, and Umbra the Dark. Ryuji encounters each of the Elementals and seals a pact with them to gain their power, trust, and servitude. Throughout the journey, the Elementals grow attached to Ryuji and him to them. He and his party eventually encounter Zantov at his lair where they fought an intense battle for the fate of humanity. They triumph, restoring the world to balance, and Ryuji and the Elementals remained together."

"Phew, what a tale…" said Ranma.

"Hey Ranma, will you take part?" asked Musa.

"I dunno. The last play I took part in was a disaster…"

"It's a shame, you look to be perfect for it." Said Ukyou.

Ranma didn't want to think about it. Still, he felt a bit worried.

Furinkan front yard, next day…

Ranma was lying on a tree branch while below on a small stage stood Bloom, Stella, Flora, Musa, Tecna, Layla, Shampoo, Ukyou, and Mousse. Standing before them was the drama club and all around the rest of the students. The roles had been cast for the main members:

Bloom as Ignis.

Stella as Lumina.

Flora as Terra.

Musa as Venta.

Tecna as Fulgurio.

Layla as Aquaris.

Shampoo as Gelus.

Ukyou as Umbra.

Mousse was cast as the enigmatic guide.

From the school windows, Nabiki and Akane observed.

"Hmph! What's so great about them? What makes those hussies perfect for the roles?" said Akane in contempt.

"Beauty, grace, refinement, kindness, compassionate, shall I quit while you're behind?" said Nabiki.

"And what's that supposed to mean! ?"

"You're so predictable, Akane. Just like back in that Rhythmic Gymnastics contest, you're jealous of them."

"I told you, I'M NOT JEALOUS OF THOSE SLUTS!"

The drama club leader then steps forward holding his cast list in his hand and makes his announcement. "The following role is yet to be cast. Ryuji?"

As if on cue, all the male students rushed forth to get the part. This in itself wasn't surprising. What WAS surprising was that male students from other high schools and even colleges had also joined the crowds of excited applicants. Finding out Ryuji's character interactions with the eight Elementals, the boys wanted the part for himself since said Elementals are being played by an entourage of beautiful girls.

"HOLD!"

"OUTTA THE WAY! OUTTA THE WAY!"

Two shadows jump into the fray and began to systematically beat down all the applicants. After a few seconds of the carnage, the whole yard was littered with the beaten bodies of hundreds of male students. Standing in the middle of the warzone were Tatewaki Kuno and Happosai, shouldering their respective weapons of a bokuto and smoking pipe.

"That'll learn ya, punks! HYAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" laughed Happosai.

"That role is rightfully mine! Anyone who thinks otherwise will have to go through me!" said Kuno.

"Oh great, those two…" said Layla in disgust, which the others shared.

Kuno immediately comes before the stage with a bow. "Rejoice, my gaijin flowers! I, Tatewaki Kuno, shall be your Ryuji!"

Happosai also came forth. "I shall enjoy playing my scenes with you, my lovelies! Heeheehee!"

"Not a chance…"

Ranma had already jumped off the tree, landing behind the two. Before they could turn around, they get grabbed by their heads and thrown backward by Onyx Riven and Amethyst Nabu whom immediately fuse back into their host.

"How dare you, you insolent cur!" said Kuno.

"You'll pay for this, Ranma." Said Happosai.

"Like hell I'll let either of you two morons get that role!" said Ranma. He turns to the club leader. "I would like permission to join this as well."

"Well, I suppose that's all right…" replied the club leader. Not that he had a choice, considering all the other applicants had been beaten to pulps.

Ranma, Kuno, and Happosai stood apart from each other in a triangle formation glaring at each other as they emitted battle auras.

'I shall get the part and take the lips of my fair gaijin flowers!'

'Those punks ain't seen nothing yet!'

'I won't let you jerks near them, not if I got anything to say about it!'

Furinkan School Auditorium…

The girls had rehearsed their parts along with Ranma until the day of the play. In the auditorium, the place was packed for the performance held by the school drama club. The curtain on stage was down as the actors and stagehands were backstage making last-minute preparations. To save up on budget, the Winx offered to make do with their own special effects, and the fashion club Stella belonged to provided the outfits.

"It seems to be a full house!" said the drama club leader. He then addresses the actors. "This will be a hit! It's show-time, people!"

At the stage, the curtain rises. It reveals a small virtual kingdom. Thanks to Tecna, she had set up a virtual simulator to set the stage scenes for a more realistic feel. The club leader narrates.

"Long ago, the world was in a time of peace and prosperity. It was then that a being of darkness known as Zantov appeared and plunged the world into chaos."

The stage darkened and a sinister-looking shadowy figure appeared looming over the area. The land was set ablaze as monsters ran rampant.

"It was a time of despair as monsters appeared and laid waste to the land. Before all was lost, a hero appeared and defeated Zantov with the help of the Elementals. Zantov was no more, and the hero and the Elementals disappeared."

The scene showed a shaded figure surrounded by eight other shadows as they faced Zantov. The scene then reverts back to its peaceful setting.

"The world was saved, and a new era of peace began. As the years went by, the legend of the hero and his allies faded into obscurity. But time flows like a river, and history repeats… as Zantov has revived yet again to renew his reign of darkness! Who can stand up to him now?"

The stage changes to show a razed kingdom followed by the aftermath.

"There was but one hope. Someone had to go and seek out the descendants of the Elementals. One young man, who had lived on the legends, set out to stop Zantov as he could no longer stand his chaotic reign. His name is Ryuji, a fighter from a distant land. He now comes across-"

The club leader's narration was cut off as Happosai, dressed like a musketeer, pogos off his head onto the stage. "HEEYAHAHA! Shower me with praise! I shall save all the ladies!"

The audience was in confusion of the sudden act.

"Huh? That's not Ryuji…"

"What's that old freak doing here?"

"Talk about miscasting…"

Happosai quickly jumped out of the was from an incoming slash from Kuno, who was dressed like a wandering samurai and using a real katana. "KNAVE! I am the one and only Ryuji!"

Kuno was then kicked in the head by Ranma, who swung in with Helia's cable gauntlets and dressed in a modified version of his usual kung fu outfit with more shimmer and partial armor to make it look more regal. "I'M Ryuji, you jerks!"

A fight soon broke out between Ranma, Kuno, and Happosai. The club leader continues to narrate.

"Oh my, what an unexpected turn of events… which is the real Ryuji?"

Ranma quickly ended it by smashing both his opponents through the roof with a well-placed spectral uppercut. Regaining his composure, he says, "Well that takes care of these impostors… they must stop at nothing to keep this Zantov guy up high."

The club leader blinks, then resumes his narrative.(1)

"Ahem… Ryuji travels the land trying to find a means to fight Zantov as he knew he couldn't defeat him alone. After his fight with the minions of Zantov, Ryuji comes across a certain individual…"

The scene changes to show Ranma walking through a forest. He stops after sensing someone in the area.

"Who's there?"

"My, you certainly are good, sensing my presence in this dense forest. Not many who can, you know."

Ranma turns to see Mousse sitting on a tree branch. He was dressed in a dark hooded cloak which obscured his face. On his back was a sword.

"So there was someone here. Mind telling me who you are?"

"Just a traveler like yourself, with no set destination in mind. Although, I can tell you're on quite a trip."

"Whatever. I'm going, so later." Ranma turns to leave.

"Let me guess… you're planning to go up against Zantov?"

Ranma stops, not turning around. "And what business is it of yours?"

"Oh nothing much. It's suicidal to go against him."

"That's your opinion."

"Elementals…"

"What?"

"Seek out the Elementals, if you really wish to face Zantov. The Earth is up close…"

"Huh? How do you know about-" Ranma turns to see the cloaked figure gone. "Huh? Where did he go?"

Ranma heads deeper into the forest, recalling the cloaked figure's words.

"Ryuji continues his journey with the words of the mysterious stranger ringing in his head. Just who was he? Before he knew it, Ryuji finds himself in a strange place…"

Ranma comes across a small clearing in the forest. At the center was a sort of natural altar enshrining a withered tree. What caught his attention was the huge bud hanging from the tip, and when he looked closely, could make out the shadow silhouette of someone in there.

"Huh? What is this?" Before he could dwell on it, the ground shook, and rock golems appeared, surrounding the pigtailed boy. "Whoa… guess this place doesn't get many guests…"

Ranma slides into a fighting stance and leaped forth with fists blazing. Though they were virtual, they felt solid, but like a mix of cardboard and balloon rubber. For each one he attacked, they shattered to bits before the pieces disintegrated, wowing the audience. Ranma had to hand it to Tecna for the virtual special effects.

"That was unexpected…" Ranma then turns towards the tree bud, which started to glow. "Huh? What's this?"

He approached the tree when…

"HOLD!"

Ranma sighed in disgust as he turned around to see Kuno. "What do you want?"

"I told you, I'M the one and only Ryuji! I won't allow you to awaken the beauty within there! Have at thee!"

Kuno charged with his katana raised. Ranma gets a tired expression on his face and mutters under his breath, "Gold Helia…"

Before the arrogant kendoist knew it, he was hit hard with a hard uppercut by Gold Helia who appeared below him, sending him flying out the same opening in the ceiling. Ranma resumes what he was doing before he was so rudely interrupted.

He walks up to the tree and slowly reaches his hand out towards the bud. Placing his palm on the surface, the bud reacts and flashes, blinding him. Once the light died down, the bud was now in bloom, and out stepped Flora in her Enchantix form. The audience marveled at the beauty of the outfit.

"Oh thank you so much for awakening me from that sleep. I've been sealed away by those monsters. You must be powerful indeed to have defeated them and released me. My name is Terra the Earth. Who might you be?"

"My name is Ryuji… are you really one of the Elementals?"

"Indeed I am. My sisterhood and I represent the elements of the Earth, but we've all been sealed away by Zantov."

"I'm looking for him myself. I intend to take him down."

"You do? I do sense a power within you, perhaps you have what it takes to do so, but you can't do it alone. You have to find the rest of us as well. Otherwise, you stand not a chance against him!"

"Since you're here, I'll believe it. So now what?"

"I'll grant you my power. You will have to seal a pact with me."

"A pact with an Elemental? What do I have to do?"

"Just stand right there." Ranma does so and Flora stands a foot from him when a circle of light surrounds them. "O powers of the land, sea, and sky, I am Terra the Earth, and by this decree, I grant my power to Ryuji. I seal this pact." With those words, Flora walks up to Ranma and kisses him, who returns it.

The audience 'ooooh'ed at the scene. One certain person was angry.

"RRRRRAAAAANMAAAA YOU PERVERT!"

From backstage, Akane jumped from behind Ranma with her mallet held high. Before she could do anything, a beam of light shot from the opposite side by a backstage Stella, nailing the short-tempered girl and sending her flying back into the backstage area. Ranma and Flora continued as if nothing happened and separated.

"The pact is sealed. I am now with you, Ryuji." With that said, Flora glows and vanishes into him. Helia's cable gauntlets appeared on his hands.

"Ryuji has found the first Elemental, Terra the Earth. He gains her power and servitude, as well as gain a new weapon, a pair of gauntlets. He sets out to find the next Elemental. After finding his way out of the forest, he comes to the ocean coast. Ryuji then encounters a familiar face."

The scene changes to a coastal area. Ranma walks along and stops to look at the ocean waves.

"So you've found the Earth, I see."

Ranma turns to see Mousse behind him. "Oh, it's you again. And yeah, I did. Seems you were right about that."

"Indeed. Now the waves are calling…"

"Huh? Waves?" Ranma turns to see the ocean waves at the beach below him. Turning around, Mousse was gone. "Where'd he go?"

"Once again, the stranger showed up before Ryuji and vanished as quickly as he came. Heeding his words, Ryuji goes towards the beach."

Ranma walks along the sands as the waves hit the shores. He meets up at a cliff wall.

"Hmm… dead end…"

Flora's voice is heard. "Ryuji, there's something about this wall…"

"Terra? What is it?"

"I sense a hollow area somewhere around here."

Ranma looks about and sees an area covered in heavy vines and branches. "I think I feel air coming out from here… but how?"

"Use my powers… make the branches open up…"

Ranma extends his hand to the heavy foliage. It shakes and parts, revealing a hidden cave.

"A cavern?"

"Finding the hidden cavern, Ryuji travels down its depths. After a while, he finds himself in a hidden grotto."

Scene changes to show Ranma in an isolated grotto.

"Never would have thought this would be down here…" He peers down into the water and notices what looks like a glowing pearl white clam. "Now that's an unusual sight…" The waters suddenly swirl. "What now?"

From the water, a geyser rises up and forms a sort of tall blob with water tentacles out of its body and a sphere near its 'head'.

"Oh man…"

The water monster slams a water tentacle down upon him, but Ranma quickly dodges it before it could hit. He zig-zags around avoiding the tentacles and the shots of water from the monster and retaliates with a punch, but it had no effect on a body of water.

"Crap! It's just made of water! How can I damage something like that?" Ranma then noticed the sphere in the water monster's 'head'. "That looks solid enough…" He looks down at his gauntlets and the light cables it had. Testing it out, he shot the cables from his left gauntlet at the monster, passing through its water body, but it ensnares the sphere. With a mighty pull, Ranma wrenches the sphere out towards him. As it drew closer, he winds up with his right fist and punches it, causing it to shatter upon impact. Once the sphere was destroyed, the water monster splashes down, turning back into harmless water again. (2)

Ranma looks towards the water and sees the same huge white clam rise up and surface.

"HOTCHA! The lovely inside is mine!"

Ranma groans as Happosai suddenly appeared and jumped upon the clam. Suddenly, the clam was enveloped in light and sends the pervert flying out the ceiling's opening via a geyser of purple water.

The audience sweatdropped at the scene, then the club leader quickly narrates, "It would seem only those worthy can awaken the Maidens of the Elements."

Ranma approaches the glowing clam, which slowly opens up. Sitting within it was Layla in her Enchantix form. Getting up, she walks towards Ranma.

"I'm awake, you must have defeated that water blob. You must be special to be able to do that. For that, I thank you. I'm Aquaris the Water."

"I'm Ryuji. So you're another Elemental?"

"Indeed I am. I sense Terra's power within you. You must have sealed a pact with her."

"Yes. I'm trying to find all of you in order to face Zantov."

"That is a bold move to do, then I shall seal a pact with you as well. You shall have the power of water and my servitude." A circle of light surrounded them as Layla started the pact. "O powers of the land, sea, and sky, I am Aquaris the Water, and by this decree, I grant my power to Ryuji. I seal this pact." Like with Flora before, Ranma and Layla engage in liplock.

"RRRRRAAAAAANMAAAAAA!"

Once again, Akane charges in from backstage intent on throttling the pigtailed boy. A roped collar of green electricity shoots out and collars Akane by the neck, then subjects her to a few hundred volts, lighting her up like a Christmas tree, before getting roughly pulled back backstage, all courtesy of Tecna. Ranma and Layla separate.

"The pact is sealed. I am now with you, Ryuji." Lalya glows and vanishes into Ranma. In his hands, Nabu's staff appeared.

"Ryuji triumphed over the water monster and released the second of the Elementals, Aquaris the Water. Gaining a new weapon in the form of a staff, Ryuji continues his long journey to search the remaining six Elementals. Leaving the grotto, he starts to head inland."

Scene changes to Ranma walking through a grassy plain. Mousse appears behind him.

"Earth and water have been attained."

"You again. Are you following me?"

"Nonsense. I just happen to be where you go. Maybe we've got the same travel path."

"I don't buy that for a second."

"I am drawn towards the whistling of the mountains…"

A gust of wind blows a pile of leaves, separating the two, and Mousse was once again gone.

"Ryuji runs into the mysterious cloaked figure, who gives him another clue of where to go. He sets out towards the mountain."

Scene change to Ranma navigating through a mountain, walking the trails, climbing cliffs, and going through tunnels. Along the way, he had fought against some monsters. He comes across what appeared to be a dead end with a small pond.

Layla's voice is heard. "Ryuji, you can reach the summit with this pond."

"Huh? Aquaris? But how?"

"Use my power to make it into a geyser and ride it up."

Ranma grabs a flat piece of rock big enough to cover the pond and places it over it. Stepping on it, Ranma uses his power of water and causes the pond to geyser up, carrying him and the rock towards the summit.

"It had been a tough climb for the young man, as its resident monsters tried to deter his progress, but he persevered and reached the summit."

Ranma stands at the peak of the mountain, which was a flat open space.

"That was a quite a climb…" The wind up top started to pick up and howl. Ranma looks about to see a pair of pillars in the center. Between them was what looked like a sphere of concentrated winds continuously swirling about. His ears the picked up the telltale signs of flapping. Turning around, he sees a giant monstrous bird. It flaps its wings, sending out a gust that blew Ranma off his feet. He quickly shoots a light cable to grapple one of the pillars before he could get blown away. He uses the power of Terra to make himself stick to the ground then whips out Nabu's staff. The monster bird the tries to dive-bomb him, who quickly dodges to the side. When it comes around again, Ranma jumps up and points the staff at it, letting loose a torrent of water that completely drenched the bird. It's wings wet and heavy from the water, it crashed to the ground. Before it could move, Ranma jabs the staff into the ground, which causes the rocky to form around the bird, trapping it, then constrict until it shattered to particles.

"That's one bird that's permanently grounded…"

He turns towards the pillars where the sphere of wind was slowly dying down. He approaches it when-

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!"

"GROWF!"

Ranma got seriously irritated when who dropped in front of him were Soun, dressed in a black 'invisible man' outfit, and Genma-panda.

"What the hell are you two doing here…?" Ranma asked tiredly.

"I refuse to allow this to go on! How dare you participate in such a shameless play where you kiss other women! Especially with those gaijins!" shouted Soun.

"That's right, boy! It should be with your fiancée!" signed Genma.

"This has nothing to do with you two morons, now get the hell off the stage. You're just embarrassing yourselves." Retorted Ranma.

"Foolish boy! It seems we'll have to discipline you all over again!" signed Genma.

"You're coming back to the dojo with us!" said Soun.

The two old men charged at Ranma. He sighed and grand-slammed the both of them through the opening in the ceiling with Nabu's staff.

(Freeze moment)

(The scene pauses for a moment as Deadpool pops in)

"And it's a HOOOOOOME RUUUN!" (3)

(Deadpool leaves as quickly as he came, then the scene resumes)

(End freeze moment)

Ranma puts away the staff and walks towards the wind sphere. Reaching out to it, the swirling winds dies down to reveal a levitating Musa in her Enchantix who slowly floats to the ground.

"I'm awake? You've defeated the wind bird?"

"I have. You're one of the Elementals, right?"

"You search for us? Then that means you intend to face Zantov…"

"I do. Things can't go on the way they are now, so I'm going to do something about it. I'm Ryuji, by the way."

"I am Venta the Wind. You've certainly got courage to do something like this. I can sense the powers of Terra and Aquaris in you. I would be honored to join and seal a pact with you. Let my power over wind help you." They stood apart as a circle of light surrounded them. "O powers of the land, sea, and sky, I am Venta the Wind, and by this decree, I grant my power to Ryuji. I seal this pact." Ranma and Musa draw closer together and kiss.

"I'M THE REAL RYUJI! RELEASE HER THIS INSTANT, VILE CUR!" Kuno had somehow returned and charged at Ranma from behind. He was sent flying through the ceiling's opening again, courtesy of a hard uppercut from Onyx Riven.

"The pact is sealed. I am now with you, Ryuji." Musa glows and vanishes into Ranma. Riven's scimitar appeared in his hand.

"After a perilous climb up the mountain and a battle with a monstrous bird, Ryuji found the third of the Elementals, Venta the Wind. He also gains a sword for his troubles. Ryuiji starts the long climb down and was soon on solid ground again. With three Elementals found, he sets off for the last five."

Scene change to the foot of the mountain with Ranma.

"Been a tough climb, hasn't it?"

Ranma looks ahead to see Mousse leaning against the cliff.

"We seem to run into each other a lot, whoever you are…"

"I assure you, it's all coincidence, but I'd seek shelter if I were you. A storm seems to be brewing overhead."

Ranma looked up to see storm clouds gathering. Once again, Mousse vanished from that instant.

"Ryuji travelled as quickly as he could as the storm built up. Before he knew it, he happened upon a canyon. Ryuji stopped there for some shelter, but he will soon learn that it wasn't a good spot for one."

Scene change to a dark canyon at night where Ranma walks through the valley, towering cliffs on either side of him. Thunder brewed as Ranma stood under an overhead cropping of rock for shelter from the rain.

"This really is a bad storm…"

Some time later, the rain stopped, but the lightning continued to flash. Ranma resumes walking down the valley until he noticed the thunder and lightning were starting to get stronger and more condensed. He kept walking until he eventually arrives at a clearing within the depths. Several metal debris were scattered around the ground and some imbedded in the cliff walls. He sees a sort of rock altar, where levitating above it was a metallic diamond-shaped cocoon.

"What is this…?"

Ranma was then startled when the lightning started to strike the ground. It condensed towards one spot where a huge bolt struck down. On the spot was what looked like a big suit of armor crackling with electricity. It forms a sword of lightning and fires a bolt at Ranma, who barely managed to dodge it in time. He runs about as the lightning armor shot more bolts at him. Ranma would either dodge, hit the bolts with the scimitar, or create a small wall of earth to act as a shield against the bolts.

Musa's voice was heard. "Ryuji! You've got to blow away its lightning!"

Ranma then holds up the scimitar and fires a vacuum blade of wind at the armor, causing it to stumble back. Then he hits it with a sphere of water, causing the lightning armor to short out. Finally, he charges in with the scimitar and slices the armor to pieces with vacuum air pressure, then finished it with a tornado, scattering its remains.

"Lightning in a canyon… not a good place to be after all…"

The metallic cocoon glowed with life. Ranma turns and heads for it.

"IT'S MINE MINE MINE!" Happosai jumps in yet again and glomps the cocoon. He whips out a lit bomb. "I'll just have to blow apart this-"

The cocoon electrifies, shocking the shriveled up gnome and sending him flying through the ceiling's opening, which was followed by a distant explosion.

Ranma continues and walks up to the cocoon. It hums with life and opens up with a hiss, revealing Tecna in her Enchantix. She slowly opens her eyes and floats down to Ranma.

"Impressive, you've triumphed over that haunted suit of armor and now I am free. I am Fulgurio the Lightning."

"I'm Ryuji. I never expected to find an Elemental down here, though."

"This meeting is no accident. I can sense the powers of my comrades in you, meaning they must have made the pacts."

"They have. I've found three of them, you're the fourth so far."

"So you seek to go against Zantov, I see. You are indeed special. I shall offer my power and servitude to you as well." A circle of light surrounded Ranma and Tecna. "O powers of the land, sea, and sky, I am Fulgurio the Lightning, and by this decree, I grant my power to Ryuji. I seal this pact." Tecna approaches Ranma and they kiss.

"HOW DARE YOU CHEAT ON MY LITTLE GIRL!" shouted Soun.

"Treacherous boy!" signed Genma-panda.

The two older men charge at Ranma's back. Unknown to the two conspirators, Silver Timmy drops a mine before them, causing an explosion that sent them flying out the ceiling's opening.

"The pact is sealed. I am now with you, Ryuji." Tecna glows and vanishes into Ranma. He was now suddenly holding Timmy's gun.

"After braving a storm in a deep canyon, Ryuji defeated a haunted armor, and almost by fate, he discovers Fulgurio the Lightning, the fourth Elemental. Retrieving a magical gun as a prize, Ryuji navigate through the canyon and finally exits, where he finds himself in the northern regions of the land. With half the Elementals found, Ryuji renews his resolve to find the final four, but it won't be any easier."

Scene change to Ranma in a snowy region as a blizzard blows. He shivered as he walked, trying to keep warm.

"If only I had the Fire Elemental right now… it's so cold up here…"

"It is, isn't it?"

Ranma looks up to see Mousse up ahead.

"How'd you get here?"

"Same way you did; I walked. That's beside the point. Just don't freeze solid while up here. A hard blizzard is coming. Want to stop it? Find the source…"

The wind blew even harder as Ranma's view was obscured by the flying snow. Once he got his eyesight back Mousse was gone.

"Easy for him to say…"

"Ryuji seemed to be stranded in the snowy northern regions. It was made even worse when the blizzard started to get stronger. After fighting against the local monsters, Ryuji uses his new powers to create a temporary shelter against the unforgiving blizzard."

Scene change to Ranma inside a small make-shift shelter made from using his earth power to raise a bit of the land and hollow it out. It was sturdy enough to withstand the blizzard.

"It's small, but it will have to do… I could use a rest right about now…"

Ranma goes to sleep, planning to wake once the blizzard passes or at least weaken. Some time later, he was awakened to the sounds of growling coming from outside.

"Huh?"

The growling got louder, causing Ranma to get on his guard. He was startled when his earth shelter started to get pounded upon.

"What's going on! ? GAH!"

Before he knew it, the shelter came down on him. He emerges from the wreckage and sees the sources of the growls. Surrounding him were several white ice wolves.

"Great…"

An ice wolf fires a cold beam from its mouth right at Ranma, who barely dodged. Quickly getting up, he makes a run for it, the ice wolves giving chase. He had to zig-zag to avoid getting hit by ice beams and sharp icicles. Ranma continued to run until he slipped and fell down a slope leading to a deep clearing. It was like a small arena of ice and snow. In the center, he noticed a huge piece of ice jutting out from the ground. Ranma also noticed the blizzard wasn't affecting the small area, rather it was happening all around it. The ice wolves jump through the blizzard wall and confront Ranma.

"Well then, you want me? Come and get me…"

The pack charged at him, fangs bared. Ranma steels himself as he arms himself with the scimitar. He slices into one coming at him, then slashed at another. A wolf that tried to blindside him gets ensnared by his light cable, then swing around to bash into others. Ranma got a little perturbed that the wolves didn't go down so easily, as the ones he had slashed just regenerated and got back up.

Tecna's voice is heard. "Lightning is both electric and hot. Ice is basically frozen water."

Ranma nods at the advice and arms himself with the gun. Using Fulgurio's power, he shoots a lightning-charged shot at a wolf, causing it to explode and melt. It didn't reform again.(4) Smirking, Ranma then proceeds to shoot the lightning gun at the wolves until they were all nothing more than melted husks.

"Good puppies, now play dead."

The blizzard immediately died stopped once the ice wolves were killed. He hears the telltale signs of cracking behind him. Turning around, he saw the ice chuck covered in numerous cracks.

"The prize is mine, lowly peasant!" Kuno shouted as he charged in once again at Ranma from behind with his katana raised.

"GET LOST!" Ranma immediately punted Kuno out of the auditorium yet again. "You'd think the idiot would learn…"

He turns his attention to the ice chunk, which then shatters. Within it stood Shampoo in her catgirl form. She slowly opened her eyes and stepped towards Ranma as her tail shook.

"You stop ice wolves? You is indeed powerful! I is Gelus the Ice!"

"Uh, I is, um, AM Ryuji. Of course the Elemental I'd find up here would be the one of ice."

"Hmmm, Gelus sense other Elemental sisters' power in you. You make pacts?"

"Yes I have. I'm searching for all of you so I can take on Zantov."

"You is too too brave man to do so. Then you must find rest. Gelus make pact with Ryuji and offer him her power and servitude. Gelus's ice power will help you." Ranma and Were-Shampoo stood apart as a circle of light surrounds them. "O powers of land, sea, and sky, I is Gelus the Ice, and by this decree, Gelus grant her power to Ryuji. I seal this pact." Were-Shampoo wrapped her arms around Ranma's neck and both pressed their lips against the other's. Unlike the previous kisses shared, this was the one time Ranma actually kissed back.

"RAAAAAAN-"

Akane was shot back into the backstage by a fireball from Bloom at the opposite end when the tomboy once again tried to attack Ranma.

"The pact is sealed. I is now with you, Ryuji." Were-Shampoo glows and vanishes into Ranma. He was now suddenly holding Timmy's rapier.

From the audience, Nabiki had a curious look. 'Odd, I thought Ranma had ailurophobia, but he didn't freak out from Shampoo's appearance... if I had to hazard a guess, those gaijins must've had something to do with it.'

"Ryuji overcame the frozen wastelands and uncovered the fifth of the Elementals, Gelus the Ice. With the blizzard now gone, he travels towards his next destination to finding the three remaining Elementals. He comes across a dark cave which leads out of the northern regions."

Scene change to Ranma in an underground cavern with barely any light.

"Well, it's much more bearable in here than out in the snow at least…"

"You didn't freeze to death. That's a good sign I guess."

Ranma turns to see Mousse casually leaning against the cavern wall.

"Just who exactly are you anyway?"

"Can't say just yet. You'll have to be in the dark about that for now. An interesting thing about that, people fear the darkness, but at the same time are intrigued by it."

With that said, Mousse slips into the shadows and vanished.

"Personally, I can't take too much of it…"

"Ryuji navigates the cold dark caverns trying to find a way out. The mysterious cloaked stranger left him yet again with another cryptic message. Just who is he? How is it he appears where Ryuji goes? He had no time to think about that as Ryuji focused on getting out of the caverns, which had felt like an eternity."

Ranma struggled through trying to navigate through the dark tunnels which wasn't made any easier with just the one torch he had.

"Now I'm sure I saw this path before…" He comes across a huge empty room with nearly hundreds of tunnel openings in the walls. "Great… where to now? This will take me forever…" He looks down to notice what looked like a black crystal onyx monolith in the center. "Hello, what is this?" He slides down the wall to investigate, but then a hissing sound was heard. Looking up, he saw what looked like a huge bat hanging from the ceiling. Its red eyes stared at him, then spreads its wings and dives down at him. "Oh cr-"

Ranma jumps away before the shadow bat could gnash its fangs into him. It then flaps its wings, causing a huge gust to send Ranma flying into the opposite wall. It then melts into the darkness before Ranma could get his bearings.

"Great, it can teleport in these shadows…"

Shampoo's voice was heard. "If enemy move too quickly, freeze in tracks!"

Getting into a fighting stance, Ranma looks about trying to see where the shadow bat will appear next. It came from above and behind as it dove down. Only its screech was what gave Ranma enough warning where it came from. He retaliates with the lightning gun, but it was too fast for him to get a bead on it. Ranma when whips out the staff and jabs it into the ground, causing a geyser to shoot up from around him with a ten foot radius. The shadow bat was momentarily stunned from the water attack, where Ranma quickly lassoes its neck with the light cable and swinging himself onto its back. The shadow bat flew around with its unwated passenger, trying to throw him off. Ranma held tight, took out the rapier, and stabbed it into the shadow bat's head, causing it to howl in pain before it gets encased in ice. He jumps off, then shoots the rapier with a lightning shot from his gun, the rapier acting as a lightning rod and making the bat howl even more from within its confines. Ranma then finished it off with the scimitar. It evaporates into darkness and was no more. Picking up the rapier, Ranma sees the onyx monolith giving off an aura.

"Back off, punk! The lovely is mine!" shouted Happosai as he charged at Ranma with a lit bomb.

Ranma turns to him with an outstretched hand and paralyzes him, then telekinetically throws him out the auditorium ceiling, which was followed a few seconds later by a distant explosion.

"I wish these jerks would just take the hint…"

He looks back towards the monolith, which started to crack until it exploded into pebbles. Once the dust settled, he was greeted to Ukyou in her foxgirl form. She stretches as if waking up from a sleep as her tail stood on end then faced Ranma.

"Hey, you all right?"

"I am now. I must've dozed off. Last hing I remember was that shadow bat and, wait, you killed it?"

"I did, and it was a pain."

"Oh thank you! I'm finally awake! I'm Umbra the Dark. May I ask who my rescuer is?"

"It's Ryuji. So you are the Dark Elemental."

"That is correct. You are indeed powerful, and I sense my fellow Elementals' powers in you. If that is true, you must be going up against Zantov."

"I can't allow him to continue running loose, so I'm going to take him down, no matter what!"

"A brave goal, then I shall seal a pact with you. Dark isn't necessarily evil, it all depends on how you use it. Overcome the opposition with my darkness." Ranma and Were-Ukyou stood apart as they were surrounded in a circle of light. "O powers of the land, sea, and sky, I am Umbra the Dark, and by this decree, I grant my power to Ryuji. I seal this pact." Were-Ukyou and Ranma slowly came together and locked lips. To Were-Ukyou, it was a dream come true.

'I'm kissing Ran-chan… my first kiss is with him… and he's not fighting it… this is the best moment of my life!'

"YOU PER-"

Akane was cut off as Flora used a vine to ensnare her and her mouth, incapacitating the short-tempered girl before roughly getting pulled backstage. In the audience, Nabiki could only shake her head.

'You're just embarrassing yourself, little sis…'

"The pact is sealed. I am now with you, Ryuji." Were-Ukyou glows and vanishes into Ranma. He was holding Brandon's double-ended sword.

"Ryuji was lost in the dark depths of the caverns, but he found the sixth Elemental, Umbra the Dark. Once sealing a pact with her, the dark cavern's illusion vanished, allowing him to easily navigate out of the winding place. He is elated to finally see some outside light after spending what seemed an eternity in the dark caverns. Ryuji was getting even closer to achieving his goal as there were now only two Elementals left to find."

Scene change to Ranma outside after he had escaped the dark cavern.

"Finally, some light!"

"So you went into the darkness and came back out. I applaud you."

Ranma looked to see Mousse once again up ahead. "You again. Surprising. What have you got to say now, 'traveler'?"

"Nothing much. You had enough of being in the dark, then look to the light." He was gone in a bright flash.

"Not sure I like the sound of that…"

Ranma walked until he came across a row of shrine gates seemingly leading to nowhere.

"Huh? That's odd…" Ranma walked through the gates. For each gate he passed through, a strange mist picked up and kept getting thicker with each passing. The mist obscured the view, but once it cleared, Ranma found himself among the clouds. He looked over the edge of one and saw that he was somehow high in the sky. "What in the! ?"

"Ryuji was more than surprised when he suddenly found himself high in the sky. The gate he passed through was a gate towards the heavens. Could this be what the stranger meant when he said to look to the light? Ryuji regains his bearings and continued."(5)

Ranma had to leap from cloud to cloud in order to travel through this sky world he found himself in. Up ahead he could see the sun.

"Could it be possible an Elemental is up here?" He continued his jump climb up the clouds until he reaches a huge ring-shaped cloud about thirty feet in radius and about ten feet in width. In the center of the ring was a smaller cloud with two pillars on either side of a levitating shining crystal. Ranma looked over the edge to see the world WAAAAAAAAAAAAY down below then at the cloud center up ahead. "That looks worth investigating, but how do I get over there?"

The pigtailed boy stopped when he hears something like a light shot. From the cloud ring's hollow center, a winged shape flies up and faces Ranma. It was humanoid, clad in full reflective armor, and seemed to be made of light. In each hand was a shaft of light acting as a makeshift sword. It gets into a ready stance with both light blades held up.

"Oh crap."

The winged knight slashes its swords at Ranma, who was hard-pressed to dodge the light shafts, which was made even tougher with just the narrow circular path as his only ground. When he managed to get further away, the winged knight attempted to shoot him with a light beam which would slow him down enough for the knight to catch up and attempt melee tactics again. He was forced to block with both the scimitar and rapier. It didn't help the knight was extremely fast in its strikes and swings. It then backs off and charges at Ranma with light blades up front. He ducks the charge, then quickly jumps the next from behind, then sidestep left, sidestep right, jump, stidetep, duck, sidestep…

This dance kept up as the knight shot around at him like a maddened hornet.

"Damn! So fast!"

Ukyou's voice was heard. "Ryuji! You must obscure the light!"

Ranma's head snapped up at that, then took out the double-bladed sword. Spinning it over his head, he caused a globe of darkness to surround him, which slowly expands. The winged knight gets engulfed into the darkness globe where it tries to stab out at the darkness with its light to no avail. Within the darkness, an unseen Ranma slashes out at the knight, making it how in pain. Taking a page from the shadow bat earlier, Ranma zips in from all directions, slashing at the knight, leaving dark gashes in its armor. The dark zone vanishes as Ranma stood before the winged knight, who had suffered several deep gashes in which light began to pour out of it. More shafts of light pierced out of the knight's body until it exploded into sparkles. Once it was gone, the hollow area of the cloud ring shined with light, which then solidified as a glass-like substance, now allowing access to the center cloud. Ranma took a step on the 'floor', which lit up where he stood. Seeing it was safe to walk on, Ranma continued toward-

"I WON'T ALLOW THIS TO GO ON!" shouted Soun as he and Genma-panda stomped up to Ranma.

"You are a disgrace to me, Boy!" signed Genma-panda.

Ranma could feel a headache coming on as he rubbed his head. "Listen you two, this is getting to be really annoying, This has nothing to do with you, so get lost!"

"You will not take that tone wi-"

Before the two idiots knew it, the floor disappeared below them,, where they fell screaming down a REAL sky.

Outside auditorium…

Soun and Genma-panda fell from the sky and crash-landed into the dumpster behind the school auditorium. Somehow, they fell from inside the auditorium to outside the building.

Back in the auditorium…

The distraction gone for now, Ranma advances towards the now shining crystal levitating on the center cloud. He holds his arm out towards the light crystal, which then shines brilliantly and blinds everyone with a huge flash. Once the light died down, there appeared Stella in her Enchantix form. She floats down before Ranma as her eyes slowly opened.

"I'm awake… the fallen winged knight has been defeated? Oh thank you for rescuing me! Oh where are my manners? I'm Lumina the Light. Might I ask my savior's name?"

"My name is Ryuji, and think nothing of it. I only did what was right."

"Well I thank you regardless. You're certainly powerful to have beaten that knight, and to come up such a long way even."

"Believe me, I didn't think it was possible for me to have even gotten here, and yet here I am."

"I sense my fellow Elementals with you. They have made the pacts? And if I'm reading you correctly, you've already found six of us eight, seven including myself. Things must be bad if you are sealing pacts with them."

"They are, and if things go on the way they are, Zantov will plunge this world into darkness."

"Then I shall grant you my power of light to disperse the darkness." Ranma and Stella stood apart as a circle of light surrounded them. "O powers of the land, sea, and sky, I am Lumina the Light, and by this decree, I grant my power to Ryuji. I seal this pact." Stella wraps her arms around Ranma and gives him a deep passionate kiss.

"I'M GOING TO KILL Y-"

Almost on cue, Akane tried to assault Ranma from behind, but got hit away into the backstage by a water pressure blast from Layla.

"The pact is sealed. I am now with you, Ryuji." Stella glows and vanishes into Ranma. In his hand appeared Brandon's broadsword.

"Earth, water, wind, lightning, ice, darkness, and light. All that's left is the Fire Elemental…"

"Ryuji had actually ascended into the sky, and even more surprising found Lumina the Light as well as gain a new sword. Our hero has successfully found seven of the eight Elemental Maidens. All he needs to do is find the eighth and final one, then take on Zantov. Ryuji uses his powers of wind to safely fall back towards the earth below. His journey is nearing its end…"

Scene change to Ranma now on the ground.

"That was some ride…" He turned to the sound of clapping and sees Mousse.

"Wonderful job. Such an unusual sight, a man dropping from high in the sky."

"You're not exactly a common sight yourself, buddy. You appear everywhere I go. How about telling me who you are?"

"Now is not the time for that. You're so close right now. You've attained seven of the eight. I'd say things are starting to heat up now, but if you're not careful, things might blow up in your face and you get burned."

Before Ranma could get a word in, Mousse sank into the ground and vanished yet again.

"Just who is that guy! ?"

"Ryuji travels towards the mountains, where the heat started to increase steadily. It wasn't surprising, as the mountain was actually an active volcano. For some reason, Ryuji was drawn towards it as if he felt something or someone trying to reach out to him. Steeling himself, Ryuji started his perilous climb…"

Scene change to Ranma making his ascent up the volcano. He had to be mindful of the flames and lava that would occasionally spew out from the sides. When he came across a river of lava, he used the power or water to cool down and solidify a straight line of lava to form a temporary rock bridge. He quickly crossed before it was overtaken by the lava again. It was made even worse when at times he was forced to take detours within the volcano itself, which was even hotter. One drop into the magma and it would be all over. Within the volcano, it was only a few meters to the top, but the platforms were so far apart from each other.

Stella's voice was heard. "You can use my power of light to teleport yourself short distances within your range of sight. Just concentrate on your destination."

Ranma nods and focused on the nearest outcropping rock from the volcanic wall. He became a beam of light and dropped onto the outcropping. Smiling, he repeats the process on other platforms. For the out of reach ones, he had to wall-run a bit to get within range before he light-transported himself. From the run, he jumps to the edge of the volcano's opening. It was similar to the cloud ring from the previous ordeal, except now there's a long drop into the lava lake below. Up ahead was a larger portion of the edge which served at the top-most point of the volcano. On it were two molten pillars on either side of a large rock of cooled magma.

"What is this?"

Ranma went to investigate the magma rock, but was stopped when the volcano suddenly started to shake. Looking down, he was startled as a huge dragon of lava rose from the volcano's opening and attacked. He made a run for it before the area he was at was suddenly covered in lava. He ran the path of the volcano's edge avoiding the lava spits and gouts of flame the lava dragon snorted out. When a huge glob of lava fell before him, he was forced to either jump it, or cool it down with a water blast. He took out the staff and makes his counterattack by blasting a flame shot with a water blast, causing steam to form on impact. A glob of lava shot towards Ranma, who quickly shot it with a blast of ice, then ensnared it with a light cable and threw it right back at the lava dragon's head. It served to anger the dragon and attacked even more relentlessly. Ranma light-travelled as high up as he could go and shot a beam of light in the lava dragon's face, temporarily blinding it. On the ground, he formed several blocks of ice and rapidly kicked them towards the lava dragon then followed up with a blast of water that solidified it. Once it was rock, Ranma took out the broadsword and charged at it. With almost light-speed strikes, Ranma diced up the dragon's head and neck, then fired an arc of light from his broadsword at the rest of the body, causing it to explode into pebbles, which fall back into the volcano. The rumbling soon stopped and the volcano calmed.

Ranma goes towards the wide area where the magma rock was situated and-

"Dad let go! I'm not doing this!"

(A/N: #$% -&%* $#!)

Ranma turned to see Soun and Genma-panda come in yet again, but with Akane held between them. What got Ranma's attention was that Akane was wearing a poofed-out red wig and a rather poorly-made blue dress that was supposed to be a replica of Bloom's Enchantix outfit but it looked more like a bunch of cloth strips sewn together haphazardly. Her barefoot sandals were actually just painted on her feet, her gloves were just pink dishwashing rubber gloves, and the wings were flimsy painted cardboard cutouts. In short, it didn't take a genius to know that wasn't Bloom.

"I said I'm not doing this!"

"Quiet, Akane. This is for your own good!" said Soun.

"They're gonna seal a pact! Oh they're gonna do it!" signed Genma-panda.

Ranma could only face-palm at the stupidity before him. "Just what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Since you refuse to stop with this play, there was only one thing to do, which was to make Akane the final girl so she'd take part! Now kiss and we'll have the wedding at the dojo as your apology to her!" said Soun.

"Now both of you seal the pact!" signed Genma-panda. He and Soun immediately started to force Ranma and Akane's faces together to make them kiss, but both resisted.

"I am NOT kissing that womanizing pervert!" shouted Akane.

"I'm not keen on this either, you stupid tomboy!" retorted Ranma.

"Ranma! How dare you disrespect your fiancée! How shameful, it's bad enough you chose to kiss those other girls, but to absolutely refuse to kiss my little girl is unforgivable! You WILL do this!" demanded Soun.

Ranma began to get steamed, that he started to emit a burning battle aura, causing the three uninvited uncast morons to get forced back. "She's NOT my fiancée anymore, you ass! I no longer have to take any more of your crap! Now get the hell out!"

Almost immediately, Platinum Sky emerged and attacked. With well-placed but extremely vicious uppercuts and upperkicks, Platinum Sky sent Soun, Genma-panda, and Akane flying through the ceiling's opening. The soul was not particularly happy they bastardized Bloom's image with this farce.

Ranma turns towards the magma rock and held his hand out towards it. The rock began to crack and finally shattered, turning into a blazing ball of swirling fire. The fire dispersed to reveal the real Bloom in her Enchantix form. She steps down in front of Ranma.

"I must thank you for defeating the lava dragon. Because of it, I was sealed away from the rest of the world. For you to have bested the best tells much of your power."

"It wasn't easy, I can tell you that. I am Ryuji."

"And I am Ignis the Fire. What's this? I sense my comrades' power within you! You have made the pacts?"

"Yes. I've got them all: Terra the Earth, Aquaris the Water, Venta the Wind, Fulgurio the Lightning, Gelus the Ice, Umbra the Dark, and Lumina the Light. You are the final one."

"You've sealed the pacts with them… times must be desperate for you to have gone through all this. You wish to fight against Zantov…"

"I am, and now that I've found you, I now have the means to do so."

"Then I shall seal the pact with you. Use my power of fire to purify the evil in this world." Ranma and Bloom stood apart as a circle of light surrounded them. "O powers of the land, sea, and sky, I am Ignis the Fire, and by this decree, I grant my power to Ryuji. I seal this pact." Ranma and Bloom held each other and shared a heated kiss to seal the pact.

"How dare you steal my part you vile miscreant!"

Kuno came back and charged at Ranma with his katana held ready. Platinum Sky immediately punts Kuno out through the opening in the ceiling (A/N: that hole is real convenient, isn't it?).

"The pact is sealed. I am now with you, Ryuji." Bloom glows and vanishes into Ranma. Suddenly, Sky's longsword appeared in his hand.

"I've found them all… on to the final location!"

"Ryuji had climbed up the perilous active volcano and fought against a dreaded dragon of lava. He had awakened Ignis the Fire, the final Elemental and gained a new longsword. The young traveler had done it, he had found all eight Elementals and sealed their pacts, granting him the power of the elements. The question is, will it be enough to overcome the evil? Ryuji comes down the volcano to begin his last journey…"

Scene change to Ranma on the ground and at an ocean cape overlooking the ocean. The skies above were dark and stormy.

"Congratulations, you've found all eight Elementals. I commend you." Ranma turned around to see Mousse standing a few feet away. "I never thought it possible for a human to achieve so much."

"Yes, I found them all, and you don't seem very surprised. It's almost like you planned it."

"Oh? What makes you think that?"

"I've been running into you ever since I started my journey. Those times are after I've sealed an Elemental pact then you subtly point me towards the right direction. You're no traveler. No real traveler would meet the same person over and over and say it's all a coincidence."

"Even if that were true, didn't things turn out the way you wanted them to? Sounds to me you should be thanking me."

"I suppose, but it's hard to since I have absolutely no idea who you are. Just what are you really after?"

"Let's just say I care about this world's welfare, too. Watch for the eye that watches over the world…"

A mist forms and Mousse was gone.

"The eye that watches over the world…?"

Ranma turned around to see something up in the sky. It looked to be a huge piece of land floating up high. On it was a dark sinister-looking fortress. It was surrounded by a purple spherical force field and crackled with dark lightning.

"How can I get up there? For that matter, even if I could, there's that force-field."

Bloom's voice was heard. "Do not worry, Ryuji. We will help you."

"Ignis? What?"

"My comrades! Let us break the barrier and guide Ryuji to the fortress of Zantov! Fire!"

"Water!"

"Earth!"

"Wind!"

"Lightning!"

"Ice!"

"Darkness!"

"Light!"

A sphere composed of each element rose up from him and circled about before him. They stopped and fired a concentrated beam at the distant force-field. The barrier resisted but buckled under the strain of the combined beam and shattered. Finally, a rainbow prism road of light appeared to connect the cape and the fortress.

Bloom's voice continued. "Go! You must end this!"

Ranma nodded and raced up the light bridge.

"Ryuji, with the help of the Elementals, managed to storm the fortress of the dark lord Zantov. With the backing of the Elementals behind him, can he emerge victorious and restore the world? The final battle is about to begin…"

Scene change to Ranma inside the fortress. He was fighting off numerous monsters as he raced to find where Zantov was located.

"Dammit! There's just no end to these things!" He lets off a stream of fire, burning some shadows away.

A voice was heard. "You dare break into my lair…? You must have a death wish…"

"Zantov!"

"How funny, a human thinking he's a hero. I've taken care of other so-called 'heroes' in the past, and you will be no different."

"Why don't you find out for yourself and face me? Show yourself!"

"Come to the top of my fortress if you can, boy! Hahahahaha…"

"After a taunting message from Zantov himself, Ryuji renewed his resolve to stop him and fought his way towards his location. He finds a bit of reprieve on the second to last floor from the top."

Scene change to Ranma on a small monster-free floor. He sat on the floor in a meditative position trying to regain his strength after his previous fights. For some reason, the monsters stayed away from that floor, but he wasn't going to look a gift-horse in the mouth.

"Man, that really tired me out… need to prepare… but can I do this?" Bloom appeared before him. "Ignis…?"

"Do not worry, Ryuji. We'll do everything in our power to help you."

Stella appeared. "Lumina…"

"You've got us, and we've got you. We complete each other."

Flora appeared. "Terra…"

"We've been with you throughout your journey and watched you develop."

Musa appeared. "Venta…"

"Don't count yourself out now. You're still on your first wind."

Tecna appeared. "Fulgurio…"

"You've accomplished much after you freed us. You can do this."

Layla appeared. "Aquaris…"

"Even before freeing us, you hold a special power within yourself."

Ukyou appeared. "Umbra…"

"Don't give up that spirit when you fought for us. Now it is our turn."

Shampoo appeared. "Gelus…"

"You got pride of warrior. No way we allow Zantov to win!"

Ranma looked at the eight girls around him. "Thanks, girls. I needed that."

They all smiled before vanishing back into him. Ranma gets up and steels himself.

"It's time…"

Ranma walks forward until-

"HOLD! You've incurred the wrath of the REAL Ryuji!" shouted Kuno as he pointed his katana at Ranma. The pigtailed boy was starting to get angry. "How dare you steal kisses from my-"

Before the delusional kendoist knew it, his katana was sliced to pieces by Sky's longsword. Ranma then showed Kuno what he thought of his constant interruptions.

"I (WHAM!)… HAVE (BASH!)… HAD (POW!)… ENOUGH! (SLAM! CRASH! BOOM! BAM! WABOOM!)"

After having all his fillings knocked out, Kuno's entire upper body was smashed through the stage's floor, while his lower body stuck out in an undignified position.

"This is MY part!" shouted Happosai as he dropped down with a lit fuse bomb. Ranma simply held an arm out where the midget was suddenly surrounded by metal plates and encased him in. The metal box muffled the explosion, then Ranma kicked it at Kuno's raised behind. Kuno's body and the box were instantly bound by chains.

The narrating club leader sweatdropped at the scene, but improvised. Since they kept insisting to be in the play, they might as well take bit roles. "A-hem… after taking care of some minor demons trying to impede our hero's progress, Ryuji went off to face their master…"(6)

He walks up a towering staircase an arrived at a large throne room. At the end was a demonic-looking throne. Sitting upon it was a looming shadowy figure. It was humanoid, like a man in a dark hooded robe, behind him was a wicked double-ended spear. On his back were demon wings. He was surrounded in a dark aura

"Welcome…"

"Zantov…"

"I commend you for getting this far… not many have, you know."

"And I'll be the last!"

"Foolish boy… you sure are confident… do you honestly believe you can take me on?"

"If I didn't I wouldn't be here now, would I?"

"I thought as much. However, many fools before you had said the same thing and met a gruesome end. You have NO IDEA what you're getting yourself into, boy…"

"My name is Ryuji… remember it…"

"It matters not to me. You are just another lowly human for me to kill. I shall plunge this world into chaos, starting with you! Enough talk!"

Zantov vanished from view, then appeared behind Ranma, shooting him in the back with a dark beam. Rolling forward, Ranma gets back up and fires a light beam at him, but he vanished from view again. Zantov appeared from above and dropped down with a flaming slash of his spear. Ranma was knocked backwards trying to avoid it, but was suddenly grabbed from below the floor by Zantov who rise up and throws him. Ranma landed on his feet and charged in with a wind slash from his scimitar, where the vacuum air pressure wave seemingly sliced the dark lord in two. However, Zantov reformed and spun his spear to create a miniature tornado that swallowed up Ranma and sent him upward. As he fell, Ranma shot out a light cable at the ceiling and swung towards a platform he made pull out from the wall, then threw a huge piece of the wall at Zantov, who merely shattered it with his fist. He fired a beam of ice at Ranma, who jumped off of his perch just before it was completely encased in ice. Zantov then formed a huge ball of flame and threw it at Ranma, who defended with a shield of water, barely stopping it in time. Ranma takes out his gun and fired a lightning bolt, but Zantov absorbed it into a dark hole he made appear before him before sending it back, forcing Ranma to block by raising a piece of the floor. He light-stepped towards Zantov, slamming his staff into him, causing him to double over. Before he could recover, Ranma grappled him with a light cable and threw him, following up with a fireball to the back. Zantov landed on his feet, rubbing a bit of blood off his lip.

"Impressive, boy. To think you've lasted this long against me."

"I don't intend to last longer, I intend to beat you!"

"An empty threat. I would like this to go on longer, but as they say, all good things must come to an end! No more playing around!"

Before Ranma, Zantov slowly began to transform. His body convulsed, obscured in an aura of darkness, which slowly began to expand. The walls and ceiling of the throne room broke away, exposing it to the open air of the dark stormy skies. Once the dark aura disperse, there floated Zantov, who was now an eight-foot jet-black demon with deep purple eyes and huge demon wings that nearly spanned sixteen feet. What was odd was that his right wing was like that of a raven, while his left was skeletal. In his hand was a powered-up version of his double-ended spear, in which one end was three-pronged. (7)

"And I thought you were ugly before…"

"Time to die, boy!"

The demonic being charged dark energy in his spear and fired it. Ranma immediately jumped back to dodge the shot, which cause the part of the floor to be destroyed. Zantov fired again, making Ranma dodge repeatedly as the floor was now swiss-cheesed. The demon vanished and appeared a distance away from the castle floor and fired a huge ball of dark flame. Ranma quickly dove for cover before it could hit him. Zantov teleported back, standing over Ranma and tried to impale him with his spear but missed once Ranma rolled out of the way. The pigtailed boy cringed seein that the spear had caused the spot he was in to crumble. Holding his spear out, Zantov lashed out with numerous strikes while Ranma was hard-pressed blocking and deflecting with his longsword and broadsword. He jumped over Zantov and slashed at his back, making him scream and angrily slam him away with his spear. He held up a hand, causing a rain of dark lightning bolts to strike down at Ranma. He blocked by forming a shield of rock over his head. He lights the rock on fire and threw it at Zantov, who then caused a geyser to erupt below it, cancelling it out. Both combatants then charged at each other, Zantov's spear colliding with Ranma's longsword and broadsword, both pushing as hard as they could.

"Give it up, boy! You can't win! I have all the power! You are nothing even with the power of the Elementals behind you!" He swings his weapon, knocking Ranma back then lashed out with a hand to grab the pigtailed boy by the neck and held him up. "You are weak, now DIE!" He thrusts his spear towards Ranma's face, but it was suddenly deflected by a barrier. "What!?"

"We won't allow it…"

"We will defeat you!"

The elemental spheres appeared and blasted Zantov away, causing him to drop Ranma, who landed on his kness trying to breathe again.

"Ryuji! Combine your power with us!"

Ranma stood up as his cable gauntlets, staff, scimitar, rapier, broadsword, and longsword floated up and combined into the Scythe of Light. Ranma hefted his weapon and charged at Zantov.

"Earth gives stability!" Ranma slashed at Zantov, then Flora appeared to bind him with a chain of light.

"Water grants nourishment!" Scythe slash as Layla appeared to bind.

"Wind is the breath of the world!" Scythe slash and Musa binds him.

"Lightning provides energy!" Scythe slash and Tecna binds him.

"Ice maintains time!" Scythe slash and Shampoo binds him.

"Darkness is the origin!" Scythe slash and Ukyou binds him.

"Light provides the way!" Scythe slash and Stella binds him.

"Fire lights the spirit!" Scythe slash and Bloom binds him.

By now, Zantov was covered in gashes as he was held in place by the spirit chains of the Elementals. "Impossible… I'll kill you all!" He struggled against his restraints.

"Ryuji! Now!"

Ranma charged up, then sped forth at Zantov and slashed down at him. "No! My power! It was supposed to be mine!" He screamed in agony as his form dissipated into globs of darkness before vanishing. Ranma plops to the ground in exhaustion.

"I can't believe it… it's over…" He and the Elementals were startled when the fortress started to rumble. "What the!?"

Tecna answered. "Looks like after you killed Zantov, the power holding up this place has disappeared."

"No way!"

The fortress began to crumble, giving no time for them to make their escape. Suddenly, they were obscured in a flash of light. Next thing Ranma and the girls knew, they found themselves in another plane of existence.

"Looks like I made it in time."

Everyone turned up to see Mousse standing before them.

"You… you got us out of there?"

"Indeed I did, Ryuji."

"Huh? How do you know my name?"

"I've been watching you. I knew Zantov would awaken, so I traveled around to see if anyone had the right qualities to face him, and you fit the bill. I lead you to each of the elementals, and seeing you acquire their powers, I knew you had what it took to fight Zantov. Now, you've succeeded. My task is now finished."

"But who are you?"

"Me? I am Hyakushin, the previous hero of the Elements."

Ranma's eyes widened. "What!? But… that was over a hundred years ago!"

"Indeed. I'm just a spirit. I wanted to ensure the world's safety. Thank you Ryuji, the world is saved because of you. He won't return ever again. Now I must go." Mousse then vanished into the heavens.

It was then that someone else appeared, which was revealed to be Kasumi. She was dressed in a single long strip of white cloth that levitated around her body barely containing her modesty. (8) On her back were three pairs of golden wings, a halo over her head, and an ornate staff in her hand.

"Greetings, everyone. Thanks to your efforts, I am now free."

"Are you… the Celestial Goddess?"

"I am. Zantov had sealed me away and stolen my power to remake the world in his image. With his downfall, my power has returned. Hyakushin made sure to see that a suitable hero was born to take on this burden and he did his job well. Forgive me if it feels like I have used you, Ryuji."

"Think nothing of it, my Lady. I would've done it anyway. What now?"

"I shall return to the heavens and restore order back to the world. All of you will be sent back. Even in times of peace, you must always remain vigilant."

Kasumi raised her staff, which then caused everything to be enveloped in light. Ranma and the girls find themselves on a beautiful grassy plain as they witnessed the world being reborn.

Curtain falls.

"Zantov has been defeated by Ryuji and the Elementals. His death released the imprisoned Celestial Goddess, who restored balance to the world and granted Ryuji and his comrades safe passage to back home. Their deeds were praised by the populace who had hid themselves from the monsters and built a kingdom in their honor. Ryuji ruled a just kingdom with the Elemental maidens by his side, where peace was maintained for the years to come. Should disaster strike, he will answer the call."

There was a standing ovation as the audience clapped at the play's performance. Ranma, Bloom, Stella, Flora, Musa, Tecna, Layla, Shampoo, Ukyou, Mousse, and Kasumi all stood on the stage and took a bow.

Backstage…

"Wow! That was fun!" said Stella.

"Looks like my virtual projector was a success!" said Tecna as she checked said machine.

"Would've been better without the constant annoying interruptions." Said Ranma.

"Well you did take care of that no problem, so it wasn't a big deal." Said Musa.

"I suppose you're right, Musa."

Nodoka came into the backstage. "Hello, everyone! Congratulations!"

"Nodoka-sensei!"

"Mom!"

"I'm so proud of you all. Let's celebrate by going to that new sushi buffet that just opened."

"You read my mind, Mom!" Everyone laughed at that as they all left. Ranma turned to Nodoka as they all left the auditorium. "Looks like your mother's intuition was right."

"Told you, Son."

To be continued…

Ending

As the credits rolled, a janitor was cleaning up the auditorium late at night. As he was sweeping, he heard a noise off to the side.

"Ranma! I will not allow this to continue!" shouted Soun.

"I'll discipline you good, boy!" signed Genma-panda.

"Ranma you jerk!" screamed Akane as she held her mallet.

The three of them were covered in refuse as Platinum Sky had sent the three of them crashing into a garbage skiff on a nearby river. It took them a while to get back to the school.

"Huh? Where is everybody…?"

"I fight on, cur!" shouted Kuno as he limped in on a prop sword.

"The part is mine, you punk!" said Happosai and he crawled in holding a lit bomb. The janitor quickly made a run for it and out of the auditorium. Everyone else screamed at seeing how short the bomb's fuse was.

KA-BOOM!

Soun, Genma-panda, Akane, Kuno, and Happosai all laid sprawled out in the destroyed interior of the auditorium. They all looked up to see the janitor back again, but he was now accompanied by other faculty members, and they all didn't look very happy.

Next thing the five knew, they get dumped with cleaning supplies and were now forced to fix the mess they've made.

End ending

Preview…

Bloom: That sure was a fun play!

Ranma: Something's wrong. I haven't felt this power since Manhattan!

Flora: We suddenly get transported back to North America again, and to another world as well.

Layla: Another country and another world? That seems a bit much.

Tecna: Everyone! There's magic here!

Ranma: Next time, on Ranma Club, "Round-Trip! A City and a Kingdom?". What in the world have we gotten ourselves into THIS time?

Author's notes:

Sheesh this took forever! I was doing drafts in my head for this chapter, trying to figure out how to go about this. I eventually had to think up another story inspired by the Zelda series and Riviera the Promised Land. Well, the play went a hell of a lot better than the Romeo and Juliet one, right?

As for the preview, some reviewers have been asking me to cross the story with this particular series. Take a guess what.

(1)The play plays out like the one in the MLP episode "Heart's Warming Eve". Yeah, I'm a brony, got a problem?

(2)Inspired by the fight with Morpha in Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

(3)4th Wall Crisis!

(4)In the original Megaman game, Elecman's weapon is the weakness of Iceman.

(5)Imagine "Road to Heaven" from Muramasa: The Demon Blade playing here.

(6)Suggested to me by AnimeAddiction. Thanks!

(7)Imagine Seth-Ra from Riviera the Promised Land.

(8)Think "The World" from Magical Drop.

Ocnarf: Disney animated series back then was the best.

Miss Angel17: Maybe…

SuperSweetGirl11: I'm still working on that.

Matsukaze Tenma: Is no problem.

Kisa tracer: An unexpected mix, no? And making it look like an anime was my intention. One of the things that sets it apart from other fics.

Suntan140: Once I reach that far and complete Ranma Club and the Ranma Club Movie.

JonV0: Dual Destines was actually one of the big factors that inspired Ranma Club, actually.

PrincessKanna23: Once I get the juices flowing.

ChaosRune: Was just trying something different and it stuck.

Arsao Tome: I'm still waiting on your version to update.

The Lord Of Pages: Well I had to introduce Happosai somehow.

Eddog2323: You'll see…

Ryan L. Spradling: Birthing scenes?

Cast49: Sorry it took so long.

OBSERVER01: Next will be a doozy to do.

Dumbledork: In Japan maybe, but not Magix…

Jerry Unipeg: As normal as it can get for them, anyway.

Masterart: I think that's a bit over the top.

Shinzochi: Believe me, you're not the only one.

PEJP Bengtzone V2: That will come later.

Drake0x: Still amusing?

Rictor Yagami: People with common sense can see Akane for what she really is.

El Irrespondible: Yep. And give that cow a bath…

Link1211: Chapter's come and gone.

RyoTheSaiyan: I hope it doesn't take another four years to complete.

God of all: It's really hard to, and I only write one. I must commend those other authors who've got multiple works…

Snow299: When I got the inspiration.

Wily Garcia: Patience, friend.

Raynze76: We all do.

Dragoncat: He's going to be in a lot more pain in the future.

Sonic 1: You'll have to be kept in the dark about that a bit longer.

Firelordeg: And how is this chapter?

RHatch89: Heh, thank you.

Dannyphantom01: When I can.

Oraman Asturi: I still consider myself a beginner in crossover since there are some series I don't know fully about to make it effective. It really depends on the series being asked for.

AndrewK9000: How as this idea?

Pyromania101: Yeah, some "ultimate technique"…

Kamen Rider Chrome: True, but that's the problem with canon, she got a lot of undeserved support. I'm rectifying that.