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 'Sore Wa Akatsuki No You Ni' belongs to GATE. 'Dance Through the Danger' belongs to Shantae.
Note: This follows the Rai version of Winx as the 4Kids version butchered it too much, like with every anime it dubbed.
Chapter 59: Stellar! The Beauty of Starlight!
Winx dorm…
In Stella's room, Stella laid on her stomach on the bed as she reads through a magazine. She was dressed in her casuals of an orange miniskirt and green tie-up halter bra with her wedge sandals by the foot of her bed. Stella swung her bare feet back and forth behind her as she was engrossed in the magazine.
"Hm hm… ooh, that looks pretty stylish… oh no, that one is way too tacky! This looks plain, but I'm sure with the right touch… well, they say the world of fashion is a broad one… this issue is pretty informative..."
Stella continued flipping through the pages of the latest issue of her favorite fashion magazine. Once she turned to a certain page, her eyes nearly widened and let off a surprised gasp.
"No way..."
The blonde faerie quickly barged out into the commons area.
"Girls! Girls!"
Bloom, Flora, Musa, Tecna, and Layla immediately ran out from their rooms at Stella's shouting.
"Huh? Where's the fire?" asked Musa.
"Stella? What's wrong? Is there an attack?" asked Bloom.
"Take a look at this!" said Stella as she showed them the magazine she had opened to a certain page showing an advertisement.
Tecna takes a look. "Miss Magix EX Contest?"
"This is what's got you worked up, Stella?" asked Layla in annoyance. "I thought it was something important."
"It's important to me!" said Stella indignantly. "The pageant is back in town! And I aim to win!"
"So what is this Miss Magix thing anyway?" asked Layla.
"Only the biggest beauty pageant in Magix to determine the most beautiful girl in the Realms!"
"I suppose this would get you all fired up, Stella." said Flora. "Guess you can't deny that part of yourself."
"I can't help but be reminded of the last time you've done this." said Bloom.
Stella nodded as she recalled the time she entered the Miss Magix contest two years ago. She managed to win that by the skin of her teeth. The blatant cheating from the Trix didn't help, either.
"But what's this 'EX' thing here?" asked Flora.
"Probably an upgrade." replied Tecna. "This article also says it will be magically televised through the Realms."
"Sounds major." said Musa. "It has been a while for you, hasn't it, Stella? You did miss the last two."
"Well, you girls have taught me to keep my priorities straight..." Stella recalled having entered and won the pageant, but at the cost of failing her virtual exam with Palladium the next day. It was one of her biggest shames.
"According to this, the pageant is a week from now." said Tecna as she looked at the article.
"And we just finished an examination period this time, too, so you won't have to pull an all nighter on one like before." said Bloom.
"That's right! Meaning I can give this my full attention!" said Stella. "Well come on, girls! I could use your support! Oh, and the others, too!"
Opening (GATE style, 'Sore Wa Akatsuki No You Ni')
Music starts as a shot of Nerima shows, then flashes to Magix. The 'Ranma Club' title shows letter by letter as the beats go by. At each letter shows a body from the neck to the upper thigh, going from Ranma, Stella, Bloom, Flora, Layla, Musa, Tecna, Shampoo, and Ukyou. The letters flash by fast and form the 'Ranma Club' logo followed by shadow silhouettes of the cast standing before a rising light.
Tokkuni nani mo nozomu koto nante nai (I don't desire anything in particular)
Mino hodo wa shitte iru sa (I pretty much know my place )
Sonna boku de sae mo oku no hou ni (Even someone like me seems to have an intention)
Yuzuritakunai ikou teido wa aru rashii (That one does not want to compromise)
Ranma is standing on the roof of one of Alfea's towers before his hands gave off a flash of light then turned to look outward. Bloom and Stella are standing near the well in the courtyard then look up after giving off a faint glow. Flora and Tecna are walking down the corridors then stopped to look out the windows when they gave off a faint glow. Musa and Layla are sitting at the steps of the main hall and look up when their bodies briefly flashed light.
Mamoru tte angai to muzukashii ne (Protecting something is harder than I thought)
Akirameru wake janai kedo (It's not that I'm giving up, but…)
Shampoo and Ukyou are seen from behind as they walk up to head for Nodoka's office. Scene change to Valtor raising his hand as he powers up his dark energies. The Trix fly forward followed by Ryoga and Happosai. Nodoka sits at her desk as her eyes snap open.
Aoi sora no hate tsunagatta michi no yukue (Beyond the blue sky, where the connected path is headed)
Hito to hito wa wakari aenai dakedo iin janai (Humans can't understand each other, but that's okay)
Hiraita tobira wa subete wo kaete yuku (The opened door will change everything)
Sore wa akatsuki no you ni(Just like the break of dawn)
The Winx in their Enchantix forms fly out into the sky. Ranma, Shampoo, Ukyou, and Mousse run on the ground as they all fight off a group of shadow monsters, causing a few explosions. It shows a shot of Nodoka walking with her katana, then a shot of Kasumi and Sasuke in the cafeteria, then a shot of Xander standing in a dark void looking down. It finally goes to a shot of Stella looking from her dorm balcony at the dawn colored sky.
Wo- ooooh oh oh oh oh oooh!
Wo- ooooh oh oh oh oh oooh!
Wo- ooooh oh oh oh oh oooh!
Wo- ooooh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oooooooooh!
Ranma throws out several martial arts attacks, each one causing an image of a Phantom Specialist to appear on screen copying Ranma's movements.
At the set of beats, it shows group shots of the notable cast. First shows Kasumi, Dr. Tofu, Cologne, and Sasuke. Next shows Grizelda, Palladium, Wizgiz, and Avalon, Next shows Lockette, Amore, Chatta, Tune, Digit, Piff, and Kiko. Next shows Nodoka, Mousse, and Faragonda. Finally, it shows Ranma, then a shot of Sly, Brandon, Helia, Riven, Timmy, and Nabu. Ranma is suddenly flanked on both sides by Bloom, Stella, Flora, Musa, Tecna, Layla, Ukyou, and Shampoo. He quickly runs towards the screen followed by the other girls.
End opening
Alfea courtyard…
Ranma, Shampoo, and Ukyou sat with the Winx as Stella filled them in on her plan to enter the Miss Magix EX Contest.
"A pageant, huh?" said Ukyou. "Sounds like You'll be a shoe-in for that, Stella."
"Heh… don't I know it!" stated Stella with pride.
"Still, you shouldn't get overconfident." added Flora.
"She right. Going into battle expecting unconditional win can be dangerous." said Shampoo.
"Yeah yeah, I get it." said Stella. "I know there will be some serious contenders in this, so I have to be prepared. As easy as I make it look, being beautiful all the time is hard."
"Then it's a wonder you haven't broken out in wrinkles yet." snarked Layla.
"HEY!"
Everyone laughed at the indignant blonde's expense.
Bloom calmed down. "Okay, but seriously, everyone, we should all be supportive."
"Thank you, Bloom! I'm glad someone's talking sense here!"
"In any case, what's the layout of this contest?" asked Tecna.
"Well, according to the magazine article, there's the casual wear, the swimsuit, the cosplay, the talent portion, and the evening wear." replied Stella.
"Man, sounds like such a hassle." said Ranma.
"Oh no! How can I decide which outfits to choose!?"
"Whoops, she's got a point..." said Musa. "Stella's got a huge wardrobe."
"Exactly! Only the chosen few can be selected for this! Oh I don't know what to do!"
"Calm down, Stella. You still have time before the contest." Flora assured.
Stella looked up and smiled. "You're right! Well, let's get cracking!"
With resolve, Stella stood up and ran towards the main building.
"Hey! Wait up!" said Bloom as she and the other girls followed.
Left behind, Ranma just smirks. "Well, hope they have fun with that."
He was about to head in another direction when suddenly, Ukyou and Shampoo return and drag Ranma along with them.
"Come on, Airen!" said Shampoo.
"Huh? Wha-?" said Ranma.
"Stella said she could use a man's input as well." said Ukyou.
"What? What's that mean?" Ranma suddenly felt embarrassed.
Throughout the week after classes, Stella had been preparing for the contest. She had been hard-pressed trying to choose the perfect outfits to wear for the pageant, in which the blonde gave the others an impromptu fashion show in her dorm room. Naturally, Stella looked great in every outfit she tried on, which only made her decision harder. Although, Ranma did enjoy the view he was getting.
Layla had Stella engage in some physical workout sessions to keep her fit, in which Ranma, Shampoo, and Ukyou joined in. Stella may not be used to doing anything physically strenuous, but had to grin and bear it. Besides, she didn't want to get flabby which was enough incentive for her as she prided herself on her figure.
One night when everyone was asleep, Ranma woke to notice Stella's room light was on. Curious, the pigtailed boy walks over and lightly knocked on the door to check on the Solarian Faerie. When he called her name and still got no answer, Ranma let himself in to see Stella hunched over her desk, obviously asleep. Looking over her shoulder, he saw several rough sketches of herself in various dresses. Smiling, he figured she had worked herself to sleep and had to admire her dedication. Without waking her, Ranma carefully picks up Stella's sleeping form and gently lays her on her bed before tucking her in. As he quietly leaves the room, Ranma noticed Bloom standing before him.
"Couldn't sleep?" asked Ranma.
"I just noticed Stella's light on and was going to check on her, but it looks like you beat me to it." said Bloom. "She really tired herself out, huh?"
"Sure did, Bloom." Ranma turned to look inside the room at Stella. "Stella's got a real passion for this sort of thing."
"Just like you do with martial arts."
"Ha, can't say I disagree with that."
Bloom looked at her blonde friend before addressing Ranma again. "Just so you know, Ranma, Stella really appreciates your support."
"Thanks, but you shouldn't sell yourself and the others short. With her drive, I'm confident she'll come out on top."
"You're right. Well, it's getting late, we should get some sleep."
"Good idea. Night, Bloom."
As Bloom goes to retire to her room, Ranma slowly closes the door to Stella's, stopping just a creak.
"Good night, Stella."
Ranma shuts the door. Unknown to him, Stella's lips curled into a soft smile.
The night of the pageant…
A transport bus pulls up in the busy part of the City of Magix. Stella gets off, followed by Bloom, Flora, Musa, Tecna, Layla, Ranma, Shampoo, and Ukyou.
"Well this is it, finally in Magix." said Musa.
"So where do we go from here?" asked Ukyou.
"I'm guessing where most of the bright lights are at." said Tecna as she pointed off in the direction of where the bus was at before it drove off. Before the group was a huge building that nearly took up the entire block. It looked to be a high class plaza stadium not unlike a grand hotel with spotlights positioned on either side of the carpeted walkway heading towards the doors. Many people have already lined up to get tickets for their seats for the Miss Magix EX Pageant.
"Whoa, it's a different place from where the last time it was held." said Bloom. The last place was a dump compared to this.
"It's certainly lovely!" said Flora.
"It has to be for an event like this!" said Stella. "Well come on!"
Stella walked down the sidewalk towards the building when Ranma's danger sense went off.
"Stella!"
The blonde Faerie yelped in surprise when Ranma suddenly pulled her back just before a potted plant crashed where she once stood.
"Whoa!" said Stella.
"Stella! Are you all right!?" asked Bloom as she and the others quickly caught up.
"Yeah… I'm fine… thanks, Ranma." said Stella.
Ranma nods before looking up where the potted plant came from. The sidewalk was next to another building.
"Must've dropped from one of the windows up there." said Layla.
Stella sighed in relief. Something falling from that kind of height would've given her a concussion.
"We hurry along, yes?" asked Shampoo.
"Good idea." said Stella as they continued on their way.
Inside the stadium, Stella's group heads to the registration booth to enter the contest. She goes to sign herself up and is appointed a room to get herself prepared. They walk down the hall to where Stella's assigned room was at.
"It's quite large in here." said Ukyou.
"Kind of makes you feel overwhelmed." said Flora.
"Well not me! This is kind of my scene, after all." said Stella.
As they continued to walk, one of the light fixtures above suddenly came loose and fell right towards Stella.
"Not again!" said Ranma as he saw it in time, but was too far to pull her out of the way. Instead, he jumps and shoved her aside, causing the light fixture to crash on his head, surprising the whole group.
"Ranma!"
Ranma was on the ground surrounded by bits of glass and metal as a bump formed on his head.
"Well… that was close..." said Ranma.
"Are you all right?" asked Bloom in concern.
"Don't worry about me, Bloom. I've taken far worse than this."
"It true, you know." added Shampoo as she and Ukyou helped Ranma back up.
Layla and Flora went and helped up Stella. "That was close, Stella." said Layla.
"For the second time..." said Tecna. "Two accidents in a row seems illogical."
"Yeah… that seems too much of a coincidence..." added Musa.
"Come on, everyone. I'm sure it's nothing." said Stella as they reached the door to her dressing room. "We're here!"
Opening the door, they see it is a pretty big but modest room. A dresser with a large mirror on the wall was positioned to the side while a closet and hanger rack was on the other. In the center of the room was a large table with seats. On the table was a bouquet of flowers.
"Oh? Flowers for me? Must be from a fan." said Stella.
Flora's eyes widened when she sensed something was wrong with the bouquet. "Stella! Wait!"
"Huh?"
The bouquet suddenly gave off negative magical energies which began building up. Getting a sense of deja vu, Tecna thrust her hand out and encased the bouquet in an energy bubble just before it gave off a magical explosion that was muffled. The force was so great Tecna had trouble containing it.
"I can't believe this… the bouquet was rigged!" said Flora.
"Okay, now something's definitely up!" said Musa.
"This is just like when I was preparing for my fight with Kodachi that one time..." said Layla, remembering when she was getting ready to fight the insane gymnast who had booby-trapped her room with a bouquet of noxious fumes. Difference was this one was clearly had intent to kill.
Once the energy buildup finally dissipated inside Tecna's force field bubble, she canceled out her spell, which revealed that the greeting card had survived the explosion. "Huh? Something was left behind?"
Cautiously, Ranma walked over to the table and picked up the card. He saw five words on it and read it aloud.
"Take part and you die."
The girls gasped at this and looked at Stella.
"Looks like someone's got it in for you, Sugar." said Ukyou.
"Ukyou's right, Stella. Maybe this isn't such a good idea." said Bloom in concern.
Stella looked down a moment, then turned up with a determined expression. "No, I won't be intimidated by this! I've already come too far to just quit now!"
"But Stella..." started Flora.
"No! I've made up my mind! If whoever it is is trying to prevent me from competing, then let them try! Have you all forgotten I'm the Faerie of the Sun and Moon? I'll give them a lesson they won't soon forget!"
They could all see the fire in Stella's eyes. Shampoo nods in understanding. Being a proud Amazon, she'd have done the same thing in her position.
"Spoken like true Amazon. Shampoo support!"
"In that case, we'll make sure nothing happens to you during the contest." said Tecna.
"Thanks, girls, I knew I could count on you!" said Stella.
Ranma looked down in thought before addressing the girls. "In that case, there's something I have to do." He turns and heads for the door.
"Ranma? Where're you going?" asked Layla.
"To help in my own way. You all should just help Stella get herself ready."
The lone male left the dressing room, much to the girls' confusion.
"I wonder what he meant by that?" wondered Flora.
"I'm sure he's got something in mind." said Ukyou. "But he's right about one thing. We gotta get you ready!"
The girls then turned their attention back to Stella.
"Alright then! Let's get started!" said Stella.
She goes to get herself cleaned up then puts on the default swimsuit provided to all the contestants, which was a simple purple one piece. Stella then materializes a chair for her to sit as the other girls prim her up.
Flora used her knowledge of plants to concoct a special herbal moisturizer for Stella's skin and applies it on her while Bloom fixes up her hair. Musa put on some soothing music to relieve Stella of any stress she has. Ukyou and Shampoo help polish off Stella's nails. Finally, Layla applies powder to her face.
Stella stood up and admired herself before the mirror wall.
"Oh wow! I look great!" said Stella. "Thanks so much, girls!"
"Don't thank us yet! You still need to get out there!" said Bloom.
They were all brought to attention when the speaker in the room sounded off.
"All contestants please report to the stage. Repeat: all contestants please report to the stage."
"That's your cue, Stella!" said Tecna.
"We'll be cheering for you backstage!" said Flora.
"Hey, don't forget, Flora, we also have to keep an eye out for who's targeting her!" added Musa.
"That's right. You just focus on winning and let us worry about the perpetrator." said Layla.
"You're the best! Wish me luck!" said Stella as she and the other left the room.
Upon reaching the backstage, Stella split off to where the contestants were and took a number tag being handed out while the others were off on the other side. The main stage was quite huge and the audience area was even bigger. All the seats were filled with the crowds coming to watch the contest.
"It's a full house out there!" said Musa.
"Aiya… so many people..." said Shampoo.
"Strange… I wonder where Ranma disappeared to?" asked Bloom.
"Your guess is as good as mine, Bloom." said Tecna.
The stadium darkened and a spotlight shone on a brown-haired tuxedo-clad man holding a microphone.
"Ladies and gentlemen, one and all, a warm magical welcome to this year's one and only, Miss Magix Pageant! EX Edition!"
The crowds applauded in response as the host continued.
"Tonight, forty beautiful young women will be battling for the title! We've gotten a lot of players for this contest, folks! Like before, we all know the rules here! No magic! All curses and spells are strictly prohibited, which will lead to disqualification! This contest is to display natural beauty! What could be more enchanting, right? And now, without further ado, here are our lovely contestants!"
The host stepped off to the side, calling out numbers and names from his clipboard. One by one, several young women in purple one piece swimsuits with number tags and high heels walk out and take their place on the stage as the crowds applauded each arrival.
"Number 17, Miss Stella!"
Stella smiled and strutted her stuff as her number was called up. She looked to the side to see Bloom, Flora, Musa, Tecna, Layla, Shampoo, and Ukyou giving her thumbs up from the other end of the back stage. She nods to them before turning her attention back to the crowds and taking her spot.
'I wonder where Ranma's at?' Stella thought to herself. 'Could he be hiding in the crowd?'
The host continued to read off the list until he reached near the end.
"Number 39, Miss Nadia! And finally, number 40, Miss Ranko!"
Stella's eyes widened when she heard that. 'Wait a minute! Ranko?'
Behind the stage, the other girls were also taken by surprise. "Ranko!?"
Stepping out and taking the rear of the line was none other than Ranma-chan. She blushed a bit as she wore the swimsuit which did little to hide her figure and struggled a bit to walk in the heels before taking her place on stage.
"Ran-chan actually entered?" said Ukyou in shock.
"Was this what he meant when he said he'd help in his own way?" said Musa.
"So that's where he disappeared to..." deduced Tecna. "He actually registered himself!"
"So he's going incognito?" Flora asked. "Must admit, didn't see that coming."
"A warm round of applause for our contestants!" said the host as the crowds cheered for the ladies. "Forty young ladies competing, but only one will be named champion! It will be tough with so many participants, so we're going to have to whittle down the number! Here's where you come in, our live studio audience! Please vote for your top twenty picks you think should advance!"
The armrests of each seat activated to show a screen listing the names, numbers, and faces of the pageant contestants with checkboxes next to them.
"Check the boxes of who you vote for then hit the submit button. Once that is done, we will tally up the votes."
Stella gets nervous. She had a 50-50 chance of advancing to the next round, but maintained her posture. After a few moments, the voting period ended.
"Voting has ended! Now to tally the numbers..."
The blonde Faerie held her breath before looking over to Ranma-chan.
"And the ones who advance are..."
Stella had been tuning out the numbers as she looked on ahead worrying, then silently prayed to be selected. The passing moments felt like an eternity to her.
"Number 17, Miss Stella!"
Stella was brought to attention as she heard her name and number and was screaming for joy inside. She calmly walked to where the other chosen contestants were at, sparing a glance to her friends who silently congratulate her passing the first round. The blonde stood as she waited for the host to finish reading off the names.
"Number 39, Miss Jenny! And for our last and final contestant… Number… 40! Miss Ranko!"
Ranma-chan looked up surprised after hearing her name and number. Despite that, she quickly puts up a smile and makes her way over to the qualifying circle, taking care not to trip over her own heels. As she stood by, Ranma-chan saw Stella give her a thumbs up.
"And here we have our top twenty contestants! Lets give them all a warm round of applause!" The crowds cheered and clapped for their favorite picks. "Congratulations for being chosen! For those not chosen, we thank you for your participation and encourage you to try again next time!"
Some time later backstage, Stella met up with the Winx and martial artists.
"You did it, Stella! You passed the first hurdle!" said Bloom as she embraced her friend.
"Thanks, Bloom! I had to admit, I was a bit nervous at first." said Stella.
"But this is where the real competition begins." said Tecna.
"You're right."
It was then Ranma-chan came in.
"Hey there." said Ranma-chan.
"Oh! Ranma!" said Flora as she and the other went over to her.
"So what's all this then? Didn't expect you to actually enter." said Layla.
"No kidding. What's your angle?" asked Musa.
"Heh, it was kind of impulsive on my part." said Ranma-chan. "Since Stella could still be targeted, I figure the best place to make sure nothing happens is to be as close as possible, and the best way to do so is as an entrant. It's all just a ruse, though, it's not like I'm aiming to win or anything."
"So undercover work, huh? I getcha." said Bloom.
"Still, wish you could've told us this, first." said Ukyou.
"Yes, one of us could've done it." said Flora.
"Well too late for that now." said Ranma-chan. "If there's one thing I've learned, it's knowing how to adapt to situations."
The speakers backstage sounded off.
"In ten minutes will be the casual wear round. Contestants please be ready before then."
"Well you heard the speaker, Ranma. We got to get ourselves dressed!" said Stella as she lead the group to their room.
Some time later, the next rounds of the pageant began. It was simple enough, just a walk across the stage, take some poses then walk to another part, repeat. Was something Ranma-chan could handle.
The casual wear round was to show a girl's natural look. Stella and Ranma-chan had on what they normally wear as they strutted their stuff when their turns came up.
The second swimsuit round, unlike the one in the beginning, had the contestants in swimwear of their choice. Ranma-chan blushed at seeing the other ladies clad in their swimwear, walking the stage and taking poses. She looked down and took a look at her own swimwear, which consisted of her red bikini top bra with orange flame prints she usually wears in her female form. She also wore matching red thong bikini bottoms with an orange flame print on the bottom half. When Stella's turn came up, Ranma-chan nearly had a nosebleed as she recalled that particular bikini as the one she wore on their date to the water park in Nerima, except this one seemed to have been modified a bit so the straps were even thinner than before, leaving little to the imagination. Ranma-chan couldn't help but blush at how Stella practically bounced whenever she moved and taking very sensuous poses in that criss-cross thong bikini that showed off her sexy body. The pigtailed girl's turn came up, and she proved to be no slouch when it came to acting sensuous, though the heels still gave her trouble.
The cosplay round consisted of the entrants wearing costumes of fictional or famous people. For Stella, she came out dressed as a certain catwoman; white-furred elbow length gloves and thigh-high boots adorned her arms and legs, while white-furred stripes lined her body like a thong bikini, with cat ears and a tail. Stella showed off her Felicia cosplay and played the part by acting with much feline grace as she could, earning her some wolf whistles from the crowds. As for Ranma-chan, she came out wearing a short white midriff-baring tank top with a black miniskirt held up with a pair of suspenders. On her feet were red ankle boots while her hands had on red fingerless gloves with dark brown elbow length cloth bracers (1). When she stopped to pose, Ranma-chan threw out some punches and kicks before walking to another spot to do more moves.
Once the rounds were over, the host makes the next announcement.
"Our next event is the talent contest! Each young woman will demonstrate a particular skill!"
Each girl was magically provided what they needed for their acts. Talents varied from athleticism to craft to balancing/juggling to musical.
"Our next contestant is number 40, Miss Ranko!"
Ranma-chan comes out wearing a small red sleeveless kung fu top that fit tight around her bust with white calf-length form-fitting pants. Around her waist was a yellow sash and black kung fu shoes on her feet.
"Her talent is rock sculpting!" A large boulder about five feet wide and taller than her by a foot materialized in the middle of the stage. Ranma-chan stepped up near it. "Miss Ranko will now attempt to make a statue from scratch!" The host noticed Ranma-chan didn't have anything with her. "Uh, excuse me, Miss, where are your tools?"
Ranma-chan smirks. "I've got them right here." She audibly cracks her knuckles. "I suggest you stand clear."
The host stepped back a distance as he and the audience watched.
Ranma-chan closed her eyes as she took a breath while bringing her fists to her sides. After a long moment of silence, Ranma-chan's eyes snapped open.
"KATCHU TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!"
To the astonished eyes of everyone except for her group watching from the backstage, Ranma-chan's arms blurred as she rapidly punched at the boulder, making audible sounds as rocks consistently broke off. She then began walking laps around the boulder to punch at it everywhere that it kicked up a bit of rock dust and pebbles. After another minute of nonstop punching, Ranma-chan stopped where she began, revealing that the boulder had now been reduced to a life-sized statue of her male form.
"Incredible! Miss Ranko sculpted a statue out of the boulder using her bare hands!" said the host.
The crowds clapped in awe at the raw display of power as Ranma-chan took a bow. She then took her leave as the statue gets teleported out. Shampoo could only beam with pride at how Ranma-chan proficiently used one of her tribe's secret techniques.
The host continued. "Next up is number 17, Miss Stella!"
Stella came out wearing a rather exotic-looking outfit. It consisted of a gold metallic bra with gold bracers on her wrists and ringlets on her upper arms. Her bottoms was a thong with small linked gold medals for straps that cleared over her hips, baring her shapely legs. The front and back of the thong had calf-length loin cloth straps made from a blue sheer fabric that sparkled. Around her uper left thigh was a gold band, and around each ankle was a gold jeweled ring anklet. On her head was a jeweled tiara with a sun symbol in the center.
"Her talent is belly dancing! Show us what you can do!"
Stella nodded and took a pose before looking to Musa to the side. The Faerie of Music started up a song they had practiced with during the week. It was something she came across and thought would suit her act.
Musa then said something quietly before starting the music.
"Ret-2-Go!"
(Start music)
The stage darkened, leaving a spotlight on Stella as she moved her body to the beat.
They say we live in the darkness...
They say there's trouble ahead...
Every day there's sorrow: today, tomorrow
But I'm dancing instead!
Stella gracefully danced about the stage as the spotlight followed her before stopping to sway her hips with her arms held up then spun rapidly.
'Cause I can dance through the danger!
The magic flows through my soul!
All around, it's seeming in the dream I'm dreaming
A better day can't be far away...
As Stella danced, a rock formed from within the darkness of the area above the stage before dropping towards the blonde. The Winx backstage caught sight of it and reacted. Firing a beam of sparkles at the rock, it exploded into a rain of multi-colored light sparkles.
So I will dance through the danger!
And fly away to the stars!
Take my lead and I'll start it to the beat of my heart
I'll never give up in my fight 'til the future is bright!
More things began to materialize in the air in an attempt to crush Stella, but they all get blown to sparkles before they could do anything. On the last lyric, one particularly huge rock gets blown up into an even brighter shower of sparkles, leaving the crowd in awe at the sight.
Stella sunk to her knees and continued her dance to the beats as she moved her upper body like a snake. Sle slowly stood back up and shook her hips after clapping her hands together.
So we will dance through the danger!
Together we'll never fail!
We will forge a path to our destiny I ask you to dance with me, so the world can see
Stella moved about on stage until a hole magically appeared where she was about to head to. Flora quickly fired at it, causing it to fill up to prevent Stella from falling.
That we can dance through the danger!
Together we will set sail!
For a time and space with a faster pace
Seeing the world as a happier place!
Suddenly, a knife formed from the side and shot out towards Stella, who suddenly bent herself backwards as part of her dance, not even realizing she had inadvertently dodged. Musa yelped as she saw it headed her way, but was quickly stopped by Shampoo who blocked it with a bonbori she pulled out.
Yes, we can dance through the danger!
And fly away to the stars!
Come along, don't miss this
'Cause I know that this is our ti-iiiiiiiiiiime!
Stella dance with abandon as she swayed her hips in her movements in a way her bare belly looked hypnotic. At the climax, Stella went into a top spin, stopping to take a pose once the music ended.
The crowds gave a round of applause at the dance, not realizing the attempts on Stella's life as they took it as part of the act.
"Well that was a mesmerizing display, folks!" said the host. "Give it up for Miss Stella!"
The crowds cheered more as Stella took a bow before leaving the stage.
Stella met up with her group backstage as they praise her for a job well done.
"You were on fire, Stella!" Said Musa.
"Thanks! All that time of practice paid off!" said Stella. "And thanks for all the assists."
"We told you we wouldn't let anything disrupt you in this contest." said Bloom.
Ranma-chan came by. "Hey, Stella…. Nice dance..."
Stella smirked at Ranma-chan's blushing due to her dance as well as her current outfit.
"Why thank you, dear. You weren't so bad yourself, you know."
"No kidding. No one could make a statue with their fists like that." said Tecna.
"Especially without preparing." added Flora. "How did you do that?"
"Actually..." started Ranma-chan nervously. "I just kinda winged it..."
The girls stared dumbfounded at the pigtailed girl.
The pageant was nearing its climax as the host made his announcement that the evening wear round was about to begin. The area darkened as the floor of the stage illuminated. The host then read off the numbers and names of the contestants as they come out one by one wearing beautiful evening formal dresses.
Stella came up wearing a bright orange dress with sparkles. The skirt reached her ankles with the front parted open to show off her legs and allow room to walk, with her feet wearing silver high-heel sandals. Attached to the skirt was a criss-cross style top that exposed her stomach and back, held up by a jeweled collar. She wore elbow-length sparkling silver gloves on her arms and jeweled gold earrings.
Ranma-chan was wearing a red modified cheongsam with gold trim. The skirt was just two long thin loin straps going down the front and back, reaching her mid calves and baring her legs from above the hips. She wore white kung fu slippers, which fit Ranma-chan just fine as she still couldn't get used to heels. Around her waist was a yellow oriental band held by a red string tie. The to was nothing more than a single strap that wrapped behind the neck and held down over her breasts, baring her back entirely and showing much cleavage. On her wrists were silver bracelets. (2)
All the contestants stood in their places once the round was over just as the host came back in.
"That's all our contestants, ladies and gentlemen! Aren't they all just beautiful?" The people applauded in response until motioned to settle down. "After the previous rounds, the judges have decided who will advance to the finals! These twenty young beauties competed hard, but only six will make the cut!" A woman in a dress walks up and hands the host an envelope. "And here are the finalists!" He opened the envelope and read from the slip.
Stella held her breath as did the other ladies. Ranma-chan didn't seem to care either way. The host had called up four names already.
"Miss Ranko!"
Ranma-chan looked up in surprise after hearing her name called and slowly walked up to the winners' circle albeit a bit reluctantly. She wasn't really expecting to get this far.
"And our final finalist… Miss Stella!"
Stella let out a huge gasp and walked excitedly to the winners' circle to stand next to Ranma-chan.
"Congratulations on making it to the final six, ladies! This is the last round before deciding on the winner!" Another woman comes in and materializes a stand where two glass bowls with folded slips of paper appeared on top. "I'll pull out a name from this bowl. Whoever I call will come and take a slip from the other bowl, containing a name of one our judges. They will ask you a question and you will have a set amount of time to answer. Now let's get started!"
After the first two contestants completed their questions, Ranma-chan was called up. She goes and picks a name from the bowl, belonging to a middle-aged woman.
"Miss Ranko, what is it that makes your hometown special?"
Ranma-chan winced at the question and resisted the urge to chuckle. She stood up to the mic and cleared her throat.
"Well, I wouldn't necessarily call it special, more like infamous. My hometown tends to be a hotspot for producing or attracting powerful fighters. It makes one have to consider gaining enough strength to stand on your own in order to defend not only yourself but those who cannot defend themselves. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's those who would bully the weak. The way my hometown brought me up made me into the ma- er- woman I am today."
The judges were surprised at that answer, but nevertheless, they and the crowds clapped.
"Well I suppose that would explain how you were able to sculpt statues with your bare hands, huh?" the host joked.
"More than you know."
Backstage, the girls could only chuckle.
"That Ran-chan, straight to the point." said Ukyou.
"Well he not wrong." said Shampoo.
The next two contestants went by until Stella was left. She walked up and picked out the last judge from the bowl, a middle-aged man.
"Miss Stella, there are some women who say pageants are shallow and insulting to 'strong female role models'. What would you say to them?"
Stella paused a moment as the question sunk in. She stepped up to the mic stand.
"I'd say they have no idea what they're talking about. Women can be both beautiful and respected individuals, it all comes down to their character. If pageants were only just about seeking physical beauty, they wouldn't bother with things like talent and interviewing like this. If they say beauty is 'shallow and insulting' to them, then they are hypocrites since they're the ones thinking shallow if they view pageants the way they do, writing off those who compete as nothing more than bimbos. There's more to us than that if they even bother to look. In fact, I know some beautiful ladies who've risked their lives to protect those they care about time and time again. They're beautiful inside and out." Stella looked to her friends backstage and to Ranma-chan as she said that part. "If that isn't being 'strong female role models', then I don't know what is."
There was a moment of silence, then slowly everyone loudly applauded her answer. From backstage, Bloom and the others clapped for Stella.
"That's quite a statement, Miss Stella! Personally, I think the same, myself!" said the host. "And that's it for this round! Now our judges will decide who deserves to be crown Miss Magix!"
The judges quietly conversed among themselves to make a decision. After another minute, one of the judges hands the assistant hostess an envelope, who then gives to the host.
"It looks like a decision has been made." said the host as he takes the envelope. Opening it, he reads the slip before speaking again. "Second runner up goes to… number 22, Miss Callista!"
A girl with dark brown hair wearing a blue dress came up and stood in the winners' circle.
"First runner up goes to…. Numer 40, Miss Ranko!"
Ranma-chan's eyes widened in shock as she didn't expect to even get this far in the agent since she was just in it undercover. Stella smirks and nudges her forward to go stand in the winners' circle, which she did with a little embarrassment.
"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for! The one who has been selected this year's Miss Magix EX goes to..."
Bloom and the others back stage held their breaths.
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
"NUMBER 17! MISS STELLA!"
Stella's eyes lit up as she heard her name and became flooded with emotion. Everyone cheered in congratulations as she hugged some of the contestants before coming to the winners' circle where she hugged Ranma-chan. From backstage, Bloom and the others cheered for their friend's victory.
"Way to go, Stella!" said Musa.
"You did it!" said Flora.
"Always knew you could!" said Bloom.
Stella was shedding tears of happiness as she stood before the host. Another woman in a dress walked up holding a cushion with the pageant crown resting on it. She backs away after the host took the crown to place it on Stella.
"Congratulations on being this year's Miss Magix EX!"
From the corner of her eye, Ranma-chan noticed the woman from before smirking as dark energies swirled around her hand she partially held behind herself. Ranma-chan quickly looked towards Stella, then her eyes widened when she noticed the crown suddenly glinted with dark negative energies for a moment, sensing a power buildup.
"STELLA!"
Just as the host was about to place the crown on Stella's head, Ranma-chan quickly pulled her away and upper-kicked the crown out of the surprised host's hands. A second later, the crown exploded with dark energies, taking everyone completely by surprise.
"Hey! What just happened?" asked Ukyou from back stage.
"Wh-what was that!?" asked the host.
"You all right, Stella?" asked Ranma-chan.
"Y-yeah..." replied Stella who was a bit shaken.
Ranma-chan turned to glare at the woman who delivered the crown. "You! Just who are you!?"
"Who do you think, you freak!?" Shouted the woman as she dropped her disguise, revealing herself to be Darcy.
"Darcy!" shouted Stella. "You were behind those accidents, too!?"
"You're pretty bright for an airhead." said Darcy as she suddenly shot up into the air and gathered up her dark energies. The people and other contestants panicked and ran for the exits, but they were sealed tight by magic, trapping them inside.
"What do you think you're doing!?" shouted Ranma-chan.
"Don't worry. I won't hurt them, yet." said Darcy. "Just going to provide them a little show of my own!"
Some of the building's security officers tried to take down the witch.
"Buzz off!"
She shoots them down with well-placed dark bolts, knocking them out.
"WINX ENCHANTIX!"
Bloom, Flora, Musa, Tecna, and Layla flew up in their Enchantix forms to confront Darcy as Ukyou and Shampoo followed behind.
"How dare you ruin this pageant!" said Bloom angrily.
"Please, like I care!" said Darcy. "I'll be sure to tell Icy and Stormy you said hello and goodbye!"
"You mean you're by yourself? Pretty confident, aren't you?" said Musa.
"Not exactly alone."
Darcy snapped her fingers, where a huge shadowy monster resembling a golem rose up from the floor of the stage.
"What is that!?" asked Tecna.
Before anyone could react, the shadow golem launched a big wave of darkness that engulfed the Faeries and martial artists along with the crowds, incapacitating them in a globe of darkness. Ranma-chan and Stella were only spared because they were behind the monster at the time.
"What did you do to them!?" demanded Stella.
"Making them wait their turn! Right now, you're my focus! It's only natural for darkness and light to fight!"
"Fine then! You asked for it!" shouted Stella as she transformed. "WINX ENCHANTIX!"
"Don't forget about me!" shouted Ranma-chan as she triggered her transformation. "WINX HENSHIN!"
Stella and Faerie Ranma faced off against Darcy and her shadow golem. The witch floated down to sit on the monster's shoulder. "Put out their lights!"
She uses her powers to augment the shadow golem's strength as it swung one of its fists at the two Faeries. They quickly flew out of the way and fired shots at it, which seemed to be ineffective. One of Stella's attacks looked to have been swallowed up in the golem's body.
"You waste your time, Faeries! This shadow golem EATS light! Its darkness is so great it engulfs any light it comes across!"
"Dammit!" cursed Faerie Ranma-chan. "How about this?"
The pigtailed Faerie switched to male form, dressed in his usual outfit then launched a ki-powered punch at the shadow golem's chest, only to find to his shock his arm gets engulfed in its body. "The hell!?"
"Sorry, that's not gonna work, either!" taunted Darcy.
The shadow golem swats Ranma away, sending him flying and crashing into a row of seats.
"Ranma!" shouted Stella.
"Better hurry, Stella, or something might happen to your friends!" said Darcy as she directed the shadow golem to attack Ranma and everyone else in the line of fire. It began to charge up a huge ball of darkness between its hands.
"No!"
Stella quickly flew before Ranma and the audience just before the shadow golem launched the huge dark blast.
"LIGHT WALL!"
Stella formed a huge wall of light that stopped the dark ball from hitting the crowds. She strained as she tried to keep up her defensive spell. Ranma looked up to see the blonde Faerie putting herself between them and the shadow golem's attack.
"Stella!"
The dark spell and light wall finally canceled each other out, Stella just barely stopping it completely, then fell out of the air in exhaustion.
"Stella!" shouted Bloom from within the dark dome.
Ranma got up and quickly caught Stella's body before kneeling on the floor. "Stella… you..."
"I'm glad… I was able to defend you guys..." said Stella in a tired tone. "Looks like my light alone isn't enough..."
Ranma became alarmed as he noticed Stella's skin was a bit pale due to overexposure to darkness.
"Impressive. You stopped my shadow golem's attack." said Darcy. "But you won't be able to defend against the next attack! In the end, you're just a useless Faerie!"
The shadow golem launches another orb of darkness at Ranma and Stella.
However, Diamond Brandon emerged and slashed his sword rapidly at the dark orb, causing it to dissipate to nothing.
"What!?" said Darcy.
"You're wrong, Darcy! Stella's not useless! She's one of the strongest people I know in body and spirit! She's more than just a pretty face! She's the Faerie of Light! And it will pierce your darkness!" shouted Ranma.
"Ranma..." said Stella.
Suddenly, Stella's body began to give off a yellow glow, causing her color to come back. The light then converged on her chest. At the same time, Ranma's right hand began to glow with a yellow light.
From within the dark dome, Bloom and the others realized what was happening.
"Hey Bloom! That's the same thing that's happened to you!" said Layla.
Ranma looked at his glowing hand then turned to Stella, who gave him a knowing look.
"Do it, Ranma..." said Stella.
Ranma nodded, then reached out and grabbed Stella's breast, giving it a firm squeeze. Stella blushed and moaned in pleasure from his touch, just before the both of them get engulfed in a column of bright yellow light.
When the light vanished, Ranma was standing alone, and like with Bloom before, Ranma was donning a full metal gauntlet, except it was yellow-orange and was on his left hand rather than his right. The design was sleeker and more polished to the point of being near reflective. The knuckles were imbedded with diamonds and the back of the handguard had an emblem of a blazing sun.
Ranma looked at his new gauntlet in awe. "Stella?"
'Ranma? Did… did I become a gauntlet?' said Stella. 'Oh wow! I never thought I'd become an accessory!'
"So that's what it looks like..." said Bloom, recalling her time turning into a gauntlet.
"Enough! You think a glove is going to help you?" Darcy interrupted. "Smash them both, shadow golem!"
Ranma quickly moved to the side to keep his friends and the audience out of the line of fire.
"Ready for a test drive, Stella?"
'You know it!'
Ranma jumped to dodge the shadow golem's punch, then countered with a gauntlet punch to its arm which sunk into it again.
"Fool! I already told you that won't work!" taunted Darcy.
"BRIGHT FIST!"
From within the shadow golem's arm, it began glowing with a bright light until it got blown off completely, showing Ranma's gauntlet fist shining brightly in its place.
"What!?" said Darcy in surprise and she quickly flew off the shadow golem's shoulder.
"That's just for starters!" said Ranma as he jumped at the golem's other arm with his hand raised. The gauntlet produced a blade of light and sliced off the golem's other arm, causing it to dissipate into nothing. Then Ranma leaped towards the golem's front and rapidly punched at it. He had discovered that the Gauntlet of Light also allowed him to punch at nearly the speed of light as he landed hundreds of punches in the span of three seconds. Each punch left a glowing crack on the shadow golem's body, which caused light to shoot out from them. Finally, Ranma jumped back and pointed his gauntlet.
"Light it up, Stella!"
'With pleasure!'
A beam of light shout out from Ranma's gauntlet finger at the shadow golem's face. Its head gets sheered off and dissolved into nothing, then its body fell over before exploding into light particles. Once the golem was defeated, the room was illuminated again and the dark dome that held everyone in place vanished, freeing them from their confines.
"We're free!" said Musa.
"No… this is impossible!" said Darcy.
"Hey."
The dark witch looked up to see Ranma, Shampoo, Ukyou, and the rest of the Winx standing before her.
"Would you like to continue?" asked Ranma as he flexed his gauntlet hand.
"Grrrr! I'll remember this!" shouted Darcy as she quickly vanished in a globe of darkness.
"I'm glad that's over." said Ranma.
"Ranma! Stella!"
Ranma turned to see the other girls. He held up Gauntlet Stella.
'Hey girls! What do you think of this new form of mine?' asked Stella.
"Very radiant, Stella." replied Flora.
'You know me! I like to shine!'
The gauntlet gave off a light which reformed back into Stella's body cradled in Ranma's arms. Just like with Bloom, she was also naked, causing Ranma to blush and look away. Stella smirked and used her powers to put herself back into her evening dress.
Ending
The group was taken by surprise by the sudden applause behind them.
"Incredible, Miss Stella! You and the young man here are truly heroes! Not only did you win, you've also helped save everyone! You truly are what a beauty should be!" said the host.
"Huh? But the pageant is ruined..." said Stella.
"Not at all. We can pick up where we left off."
Another woman comes in with a slab of silver and uses magic to recreate the crown. The host takes the crown and holds it above Stella's head.
"Congratulations, Miss Stella, on becoming this year's Miss Magix EX!"
A second woman puts a strap ribbon with the words 'Miss Magix EX' embroidered on it over Stella's shoulder while a third presents her with a bouquet of roses.
The audience gave her another round of applause as she cried tears of joy.
"Thank you all so much! I couldn't have made it this far without the help of my dear friends!"
Back at Alfea...
Along with wining the title of Miss Magix EX, Stella had also won a sizable amount of cash, which she planned to donate to some local charities and to the school itself.
Ranma laid on the couch of the commons area of the dorm as he looked up at the ceiling.
"Well that's a way to spend a night." said Ranma.
"Ranma?"
Ranma turned to see Stella in her night robe. "Oh, Stella."
"I'd like to thank you for everything."
"It was really nothing."
"Being a gauntlet was pretty new."
"Bloom said the same thing."
Stella the smirks. "You know… you had a really great shot of winning the pageant yourself."
Ranma blanched at that. "Hold on! I only entered to make sure you were safe! It's not like I wanted to win! I'm a guy!"
"But you were willing to put yourself through that just for me. Honestly, it wouldn't have bothered me too much if I did lose to you."
"H-hey now..."
"Heehee! I'm just teasing!" She turned to head back to her room before turning to look at Ranma. "I hope I get to be your accessory again… you've got a gentle touch..."
Ranma blushed hard at that as Stella gave a wink before returning to her room.
End ending
To be continued...
Preview…
Tecna: An academic tournament is coming up!
Stella: Wait, academic tournament?
Flora: It's something that occurs every three years between Alfea and Cloud Tower.
Layla: All the faculty and schools will be attending, but not just them, the council of Light Fortress will also be there.
Bloom: Then we'd better not let Miss Faragonda down! Our performance will reflect on her and the school!
Musa: No pressure, but something's going on behind the scenes…
Tecna: Next time, on Ranma Club, 'No Fear! A Magic Tournament!'
Ranma: What now? Dealing with Valtor and the Trix is bad enough...
Author's notes
Hoo! Finally done! Now Stella has become a gauntlet for Ranma to use! Who will be next?
Read and review, please!
(1) Tifa from Final Fantasy 7.
(2) Think a red version of Chun Li's black battle dress from Street Fighter V.