Long before Ranma and his father Genma visited Jusenkyo and met with their cursed fate, many years before Ranma first met Akane, the Saotome males traveled through China seeking strength, honor, and adventure. This is their story.

Iron Ranma Episode Five!

-Cage Rage-

Ranma stepped eagerly through the doors and jogged out onto the floor of the arena. There was a confused murmur from the crowd as his name was announced, which quickly turned into a buzz of protest. A man walked out of a side door and up to Ranma.

Bending down, the man said, "Are you sure you want to do this, boy? Your opponent will not hold back because you are young."

Ranma nodded, "Yes, Ranma is ready." His Chinese was worse than his Japanese, but it worked for most things.

The older man looked as though he wanted to stop Ranma, but he stood and walked back to the door he had come out of. Set into the wall of the arena was a small cubby, from which the man extracted a microphone. On the other side of the arena Ranma could see his opponent entering through a doorway similar to the one on Ranma's side. As he had been trained to, Ranma watched the other fighter carefully to learn what he could of the man's style.

The man, who was announced as Li Guan, moved with a fluid grace and light step. Just barely over five feet tall, the man was also rail thin. Ranma nodded to the man as they both approached the center of the ring. Li turned to the referee and said with dismay, "You're making me fight a kid? What kind of guy do you think I am?"

The announcer shrugged and replied, "The kid wants to fight, so you fight. Try not to hurt him ok?"

Ranma was having a hard time keeping up with the men, as they spoke rapidly in Chinese, but he got the basic idea. Shaking his head ruefully, Ranma backed off as the announcer got ready to begin the match.

'Let 'im think I'm a pushover. He's gonna be surprised, tha's fer sure."

The ref shouted, "Begin!" The Li and Ranma were off.

Light and fast, Li charged Ranma intent on ending the fight with one swift blow. He honestly didn't want to hurt a child, but he knew that he would have to in order to advance to the next round. Ranma had no such concerns about Li's welfare, and charged as quickly as he could.

They clashed, and each threw a series of probing hits that were easily countered on both sides. After determining the nature of their opponent's defense both fighters backed off and circled each other warily.

'This kid ain't just some punk, I better be more careful.'

Li advanced on Ranma and threw a jab with his right arm, expecting his smaller opponent to dodge it and expose his flank. To Li's surprise Ranma caught the man's hand and spun around the outside of his arm. With a sharp elbow to Li's exposed side, Ranma drove the man to his knees. Li wasn't such an easy target, even though he'd been caught off guard by the attack. From his position Li slid to his thigh and lashed out in a vicious side kick that caught Ranma's hip and sent the boy flying.

Ranma rolled in midair and put his feet under him, then landed hard several meters away from Li Guan. He narrowed his eyes and charged recklessly back into the fight. However when he reached Li the older fighter realized there had been nothing reckless about Ranma's charge at all. Ducking under Li's attack, Ranma slid like he was aiming for home plate in the bottom of the ninth of a tied game. However instead of targeting the man's ankles Ranma twisted and threw his weight up at the last minute to catch Li's chin in a brutal kick. As Li rocked back from the violent impact Ranma let his momentum carry his small frame higher, and then latched onto Li's shoulders. He did a brief handstand then twisted and let himself fall behind Li Guan. As Ranma fell he rolled his shoulders and flipped Li backwards over him. The older man landed hard, his breath going out of him in a loud huff. Ranma wasted no time and did yet another handstand, from which he launched into the air and came down with a foot to either side of Li's head, then delivered a blazingly fast and deadly strike to Li's forehead.

The blow didn't land, as Ranma stopped just millimeters from Li's face. The child prodigy smiled warmly at Li and asked, "D'ya yield?"

Li considered his position, and decided to call it a night. He could take advantage of the child's naiveté, but Li knew that if Ranma wasn't put out he'd get right back up and beat the fight right out of him. Li sighed and nodded, then smiled as he stood and dusted himself off. He turned and bowed to Ranma who did the same, then said, "Someday I hope to face you again, Saotome Ranma. Until that day, train hard!" And walked towards the exit, shoulders squared proudly.

Ranma beamed, he had won! He began to caper about the arena floor before the announcer ushered him out to allow the next match to begin. He sauntered over to his father who had been watching the match from the fighter's waiting area. Genma smirked proudly, but whapped his son on the back of his head anyway. Ranma glared up at his father and said, "Whaddya do that for?"

"You must not get cocky, boy", Genma chided sternly, "The hit was to deflate your head and get you focused again. Watch the coming battles well."

Both Saotomes watched each match with great interest and a professional eye. They analyzed each fighter's style and learned their tricks while taking special note of the winners, especially one man who appeared to be as tall as the Saotomes combined and nearly as wide. The giant of a man was pure muscle and faster than anyone his size should have been. For such a monster to move so quickly was frightening for Ranma to behold, and his brutal efficiency made Genma nod in approval. It soon became apparent that this man would reach the finals, and it began to make the elder Saotome nervous. He had much faith in his son, but the huge fighter was brutal and efficient.

Despite Genma's misgivings the night wore steadily on, and Ranma fought two more men. The first, Ka Rin, was tall and powerfully built, much like Genma. He came at Ranma with gusto, underestimating the boy as Li had. Unfortunately Ka wasn't as quick as Li, and soon found himself in over his head. His first punch went wide as Ranma ducked and weaved to the right. Ka responded by throwing a knee towards Ranma but it was like trying to hit smoke. By the time his knee was up Ranma had already spun around Ka's left flank.

Ranma's foot lashed out like a viper's strike and took ka in the knee, forcing the other martial artist off balance. The younger Saotome wasted no movement and pivoted on his planted leg while he threw an elbow to the back of Ka's head. The martial artist flipped forward and was still, knocked out cold. Ranma nodded at his work in satisfaction, then left to prepare himself for the next bout.

Ranma's third opponent was tall and lean, and had wrapped his shins and forearms. Having watched the man fight Ranma knew that he would have to beware strong kicks and swift footwork. With that in mind Ranma allowed his opponent to come to him. The man had been introduced as Fei Lun, and proved to be every bit as fast as Ranma suspected he would be. He opened by striking with a quick snap kick that turned into an axe kick without seeming to pause. Ranma dodged to the side to avoid these, and then attempted to get in closer to his opponent. Fei was having none of it, and spun low with an outstretched foot, hoping to catch Ranma in it. Ranma responded by jumping high and performing a flying kick, which was blocked by Fei.

Ranma took a step back and focused, then was on Fei once more. The young martial artist threw a rapid series of punches that were blocked, and was in turn forced to block the incoming knees and elbows of the other fighter. Finally Ranma saw an opportunity while he blocked one of Fei's elbow strikes. Ranma pushed up as the elbow came in, which allowed him to duck under the man's guard. Fei responded by spinning and attempting to hit Ranma across the back of the head with his other arm. Ranma had anticipated this, and so ducked the oncoming swipe. As he ducked he was brought in range of Fei's abdomen, which fell prey to a shaper elbow thrown with all Ranma's weight behind it. With the wind knocked out of him, Fei was much easier to handle and went down quickly.

Finally Ranma found himself in the arena for his last match of the night, and he shivered as he watched the mountainous fighter step from the opposing doors. The fighters approached each other to bow in respect, and as they walked to their starting points Ranma had to shake himself to regain his composure. Fearsome from far away, the man was worse close up. And his eyes, which were so cold and heartless, made Ranma long for someone to comfort him. He would not give up, though, not with his father watching on in pride.

The announcer introduced the fighter, whose name was Guan Ru, and signaled the start of the match. Ranma wasted no time; he rocketed towards the big man in an unprecedented display of speed. As Ranma reached the man he dove between his legs and lashed out at the back of the man's knees. The giant fighter didn't give in so easily. As Ranma kicked, the man buckled his knees and dropped to the ground leaving Ranma no purchase to spring from. Ranma landed on his back and skidded, then was up again in an instant. An instant was all the lightning quick monster needed to close with Ranma and send a quick and devastating punch towards the boy. Ranma executed a series of back flips to carry him away from the piston-like thrusts of Guan's attacks.

He could feel the movement of the displaced air with each punch, and from the intensity Ranma knew he was in trouble. Not a single one of those punches could be allowed to land, or it would be all over! Ranma gave up his back flips and attempted to dodge in past the giant's fists and close with his body. The man was having none of it, and quickly backed off, swatting Ranma as he went. Ranma flew through the air and landed on the ground and he could swear he heard something rattling around his head. Shaking it off Ranma stood again and let Guan come to him.

Guan obliged, advancing on the younger martial artist swiftly. Taking a chance, Ranma let Guan approach into his circle, then leapt straight up as fast as he could. The man's fists rained down on the space Ranma had occupied just a moment ago, and so he was completely unprepared when Ranma landed on his bald head. The boy prodigy stood there for a millisecond before executing yet another leap. He'd never tried to fight like his father before that moment but he knew one thing well, 'In an aerial battle, the man in the air has the advantage'.

Ranma flew straight up towards the roof of the arena, reveling in the feeling of the wind passing him. The feel of flight became everything, but with reluctance he backed away from his exultation as he reached the apex of his flight and began to descend. There was still a fight to win, and now he had Guan's undivided attention.

Expecting to be intercepted by Guan's fists Ranma was caught completely off guard as the man stuck his hands into his pockets and danced to one side, then spun and delivered a vicious roundhouse to Ranma's collar.

As Ranma went flying he managed to focus past the pain and put his feet down in time to land, albeit painfully. He stood and crouched into a low guard, expecting the older fighter to already be bearing down on him. Instead he was surprised to see the man was just staring at him, smiling wickedly. The huge man began walking towards Ranma, saying, "Careful with the flashy moves there, kid, if I'd wanted to I could have ended it. Your throat doesn't take hits as well as your collar"

Ranma stood and rolled his shoulders, but didn't let Guan enjoy his momentary victory. Off like a shot from a cannon, Ranma charged Guan once again. The huge man stepped to one side and lashed out with his leg, attempting to catch Ranma across the chest. Ranma allowed Guan's leg to catch him, but then used his smaller size to swing around the leg as though it were a giant tree-trunk. Landing deftly atop the man's leg, Ranma jumped again and spun, using the extra momentum to put force behind his blow. Guan's head rocked back as Ranma threw a devastating elbow into the man's surprised face. He didn't give his opponent time to recover. Completing his spin Ranma landed on the kick boxer's wide shoulder and began to pummel the huge fighter's head.

With a roar Guan shook Ranma from his shoulders then danced back, breathing heavily. Ranma flipped as he fell and landed easily, but as he looked at the other fighter's face he nearly stumbled. Guan's face was a contorted mask of rage, blood from split lips frothing with every breath. Ranma took a hesitant step back, and for the first time took his eyes of Guan to look towards his father.

Genma's eyes went wide as he realized what was happening, and he shouted to his son, "Don't just stand there, boy! He's a berserker; you need to hit him now!"

Ranma turned back towards Guan, who was now breathing heavily and staring straight at Ranma with dead hate-filled eyes. Ranma gulped then charged Guan, even if he didn't know what a berserker was he hoped to finish the fight quickly. Closing quickly with Guan Ranma dodged past the man's insanely strong punches, spinning around behind the man to attack his back. Guan spun quickly, only to find Ranma continued to run circles around him. Guan continued to spin, unleashing a hail of punches that Ranma barely dodged around. Ranma moved faster and faster, bringing his opponent's speed up as well. Then with an abrupt stop Ranma planted his feet and sprinted back around Guan in the opposite direction. With a loud yell Guan spun to follow Ranma and lashed out in a searingly fast blaze of punches that would have turned Ranma to pudding. Before any of them could hit, however, there was a loud wet "SNAP" and Guan pitched forward, his left foot tilted at an excruciating angle.

Ranma leapt back from the towering man's fall and watched as he crashed to the ground. Ranma Breathed heavily, worn out from his fast-paced dodging. He had no idea what had happened but was glad that the man was down for the count despite that. Ranma had been searching for an opening, trying to circle the giant fighter and find one, but nothing had presented itself. Gradually the blood stopped pounding in his ears and Ranma became aware of another sound...cheering.

Looking around him Ranma could see the arena, which had been packed with people, cheering wildly for his success. Throughout the night the monster Guan Ru had trashed his opponents without ever taking a hit and the crowd went wild as they saw a mere child take Guan down. Ranma beamed and began to wave at the crowd thinking to himself, 'If they only knew how hard tha guy was ta beat, they'd really cheer'

Ranma was also aware of his father, who came running out of the fighter's pit at full tilt, scooping Ranma up and spinning him in an uncharacteristic display of fatherly emotion. He was yelling something, but over all the noise Ranma couldn't really make it out. All he really knew was that at this moment, he had never been happier before.

After everything had calmed down Ranma was formerly announced that night's champion, and he was rewarded a cash pot that came to nearly 10,000 Yuan. Genma eagerly scooped up the prize and his son and made haste out of the arena, despite the manager's protests that Genma have his son fight the next night as well. Genma had other plans, and now he had the money to make those plans a reality. Soon Ranma found himself standing beside his father at the shipping docks on the river while his elder negotiated passage on a tramp freighter bound for the coast. They paid well and in cash, so before much time had passed the freighter was moving downriver, with the Saotomes sitting astern watching the stars as they traveled.

"Pops, why were ya in such a hurry ta get on this boat?" queried Ranma.

Genma stood and walked to the rail, considering his words. "Boy, when was the last time you were in Japan?"

Ranma knew his father knew the answer, but responded, "When I was six, pops" and waited for his father to be less vague.

"When we left home I brought you across the ocean to teach you the Anything Goes School, and turn you into the best martial artist of your generation. Tonight you showed me the fruits of that training, and so as of today I declare that you have learned all there is to know of the basic Anything Goes style."

Ranma was shocked speechless and bounded to his feat happily. He knew what this meant, and had waited a long time for the honor.

Genma nodded with pride, glad that his son understood the great honor he was about to receive. "As of this moment, Ranma, you are a student of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts, and since you've forgotten, today is also your eleventh birthday. Congratulations, my son."

Ranma whooped loudly and capered about the deck. His father had been right, he'd been so focused on advancement he'd completely lost track of the date.

"I saw your desire to take to the skies in combat as you fought with Guan Ru, and so I know that you are ready to begin learning our family's style of the Art. Because I will be training you in our family techniques, we must return to Japan and retrieve the proper scrolls. There is much I can teach you, but there is much you must read as well."

Ranma's face fell. He had left Japan, and the school system, without ever learning to read. Unless he was literate he'd never be able to read the advanced scrolls and teachings of his family art. Despair began to overwhelm the boy.

"Do not loose heart my son", chuckled Genma, "That is yet another reason we must return to Japan. You will be enrolled in school for a short time, long enough to learn what you must to continue your training. While you are enrolled you will begin to learn more of our school. Now get some sleep boy, we've a long way to travel."

Ranma nodded and unrolled his sleeping bag in the area the freighter's crew had designated for Genma and Ranma. He could barely sleep, as thoughts were going through his head at light speed. The advanced teachings, and school, and being back in his homeland all warred for precedence in his mind. However, as he drifted off only one thought found dominance in his mind. There traveling under the stars, the sound that filled Saotome Ranma's head were the voices of hundreds of people, all cheering his name.

-AUTHOR'S NOTES-

Yes, it's true; I've slowed down my pace. The weekend came and I had things to do, but I couldn't stop thinking of that pesky fight scene that needed to get written! Oh well, here it is, I hope it meets with approval, I know I liked it! Big thanks once again to all my readers and especially those of you who've left reviews. I love comments!

Yes, Ranma is off to middle school, and as everyone knows that means one very lost boy is about to come into the fray. Things should get interesting, huh? And just what is Genma doing in Japan...Why should he need scrolls to teach Ranma anything at all? And just why does the author think you need to read his notes? All these questions and MORE are answered in the next exciting episode of Iron Ranma!