Disclaimer: Ranma ½ belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Video and Winx Club belongs to Iginio Straffi and Rai S.p.A (NOT 4Kids!).
Note: This follows the Rai version of Winx as the 4Kids version butchered it too much, like with every anime it dubbed.
This takes place between chapters 50 and 51 of Ranma Club.
Ranma Club: Nihao My Winx!
Chapter 2: The Prince of Illusion
Later that night, Ranma-chan stood out in the open on the shore looking about. She had her guard up as she tried to sense out whatever kidnapped the girls earlier. Hiding in the foliage in the back were Stella, Mousse, Ryoga, Genma, and Cologne.
"Will we be able to out the malefactors like this?" asked Mousse.
"Don't know, but it's worth a shot." Replied Cologne. The plan was for Ranma-chan to act as bait to lure out the kidnapper, then once they get close, Ranma-chan would shift to her male form to catch them off guard and in the act. Ranma-chan voluntarily accepted the risk as she didn't want to risk Stella's safety.
"Be careful, Ranma…" said Stella as she watched Ranma-chan's back to make sure she wouldn't get taken by surprise. Her magical senses spiked when she felt a presence behind her. Turning around, she saw a shadow rushing across the ground towards her. "Eep!"
Stella took off like a shot towards Ranma-chan to get away from the shadow before it could take her. Everyone else was taken by surprise at her sudden movement, then their eyes widened when they saw the living shadow pursuing her.
"What the…?" said Mousse.
"RANMA!" shouted Stella as she ran towards the redhead.
Ranma-chan turned to see Stella rushing at her, then saw the weird shadow chasing her. Unfortunately, Stella wasn't fast enough as the shadow managed to grab her foot, pulling it into itself.
"STELLA!" shouted Ranma-chan as she quickly turned male and grabbed Stella's hand to pull her out.
"Ranma! Please help me!" pleaded Stella as she was getting pulled up to her knees into the shadow.
Ranma grunted as he tried to prevent Stella from being taken, then heard Cologne shouting to him.
"RANMA! STRIKE THE SHADOW, BOY! THE SHADOW!"
Ranma didn't think twice about it and punched the shadow with all his might. As soon as his fist impacted the shadow, it gave off an explosion that ejected Stella. Ranma quickly caught the sexy bikini-clad blonde in his arms and jumped back from the area.
"Stella, you all right?" asked Ranma.
Stella was a bit shaken. "I'm fine… thank you…" She began fearing that was the reason how the other girls vanished.
They were shaken out of their thoughts as a voice rang out.
"Well well well! You've managed to see through my illusion! There're not many who can, you know. Not bad!"
Everyone looked up to see someone standing on top of a nearby palm tree. It turned out to be what looked like a man with a slightly hunched frame, wearing a light green sleeveless top with a yellow chestguard, dark pants with boots, and blue fingerless gloves. On his head was a gold circlet. His stance and mannerisms reminded the crowd of a monkey.
"A talking monkey?" said Ryoga in shock.
"WHO'RE YOU CALLING A MONKEY!?" the man shouted indignantly.
"Ranma!" shouted Stella as she pointed at the ground.
Ranma looked to where Stella was pointing at and saw two additional shadows immediately trying to get away.
"Oh no you don't!" said Ranma as he set Stella down and pursued the shadows. "Hey! Don't you run away! C'mon and show yourselves!"
There was a sudden explosion of sand that obscured the view, causing Ranma to back off.
"What the…?"
Suddenly, a bright pink light illuminated in the sky, temporarily blinding everyone present. Ranma shielded his eyes with his hands as he looked upward to see two human shapes floating next to a large glowing ball of light, which resembled a peach. The two men floated down onto the sand before the large light ball. One was a masked man with a lean build and a feathery cloak while the other was a huge portly man with a sort of blank expression on his face. Once the large light ball touched down on the sand, the front opened up to reveal a third person, who appeared to be a young man in his pre-teen years. He was holding a peach in his hand. The first two men turn and kneeled before him.
"What's going on!? Who're you?" said Ranma as he faced the newcomers.
"Greetings. I am Togenkyo Island's Prince of Illusion, Toma." Said the boy.
"A prince, huh? Why's a brat like you using those tricky illusions?" asked Ranma.
"Where are my manners?" said Toma as he held the peach forward, which began to glow. A moment later, the giant ball of light he came in on vanished along with the peach, revealing himself for who he is. He wore a gold sleeveless top with a cross curiass, gold pants with sandals, and purple fingerless gloves reaching his upper arms. Around his waist was a green loin sash with an emblem in front and a long green bejeweled bandana tied on the side. Strapped behind his was a katana in its scabbard. "Is this better?"
Before Ranma could answer, Ryoga immediately rushed up, stopping next to him as he pointed at Toma. "HOLD IT RIGHT THERE! Are you the one who kidnapped Akane!?"
"Indeed, just as I have with most of the young women shipwrecked on this island." Replied Toma. "They've all been invited to Togenkyo as potential bridal candidates for me." He then gestures to Stella. "How about you, Miss? It's not too late to be included for consideration."
" 'Bridal candidates'!? Are you out of your mind!?" shouted Mousse.
"I'm with him! You give back my friends and the others right now!" demanded Stella.
"Should you refuse, I must use the sacred Togenkyo water, which will turn you into a man." Said Toma as he held up a gourd attached to his sash. "Then no man will ever love you as a woman." He looked at the monkey-like man from before. "Sarutoru!"
"Yes, my lord!" said Sarutoru as he jumped off the tree and landed before Toma. He placed a large lobster in front of him. "Here, my lord."
Everyone was confused at the scene as they watched Toma uncork the gourd and poured the water inside on the lobster. No one noticed, but Stella suddenly felt sick.
"Huh? What's he doing?" asked Ranma.
"He said something about turning into a man…?" said Mousse.
Once the lobster was drenched, it glowed with an eerie pink light. Suddenly, its shape expanded and grew as its form altered. After a few seconds, the lobster was replaced with what looked like a neanderthal. It quickly scurries away.
"No way!" said Ryoga.
"It's turned into a man!" said Genma.
"If we had that water, then…" said Mousse.
"… we could be cured…?" said Ranma.
"Now unless you want to be a man forever, I suggest that you consider-" started Toma.
"HAND IT OVER!" Ryoga, Genma, and Mousse immediately tried to bum rush Toma in an attempt to get the water from him.
"HEY! WAIT YOU GUYS!" shouted Ranma.
Toma's eyes suddenly flashed with pink light. "SILENCE, FOOLS!"
He thrusts out his hand, causing a concentrated wind blast to stop Ryoga, Mousse, and Genma's advance. The three immediately brought their arms up to shield themselves from the attack. Ranma quickly gets in front of Stella and defends against the wind.
Toma draws out his katana, the blade glowing with a green light. "I have no business with men! Feel the power of my ultimate technique! MYSTIC ILLUSION CHAOS STRIKE! YOGEN RAN GIGI DAN!"
The prince held up his sword, which then gave off a large flash of light. Suddenly, the ground below Ranma, Mousse, Ryoga, and Genma erupted into flames, They all scream as their bodies get engulfed in the fires. Toma had Stella under his arm as he flew up and encased themselves in a ball of light. His three servants followed suit and flew off after him while encased in their own spheres of light. The four lights flew towards an island obscured in shadows.
"RANMA!" shouted Stella as she was being taken away.
Ranma grunted in pain as he tried to move, but was forced to watch the blonde Faerie get kidnapped before his eyes. He managed to get out one word before his body was engulfed in the flames.
"STELLAAAAA!"
The next morning…
"Ranma! Ranma! Wake up!" said Cologne.
Ranma was on his back unconscious on the sand, letting off a few moans.
"Get up, Boy!" said Genma as he dumped a bucket of water on Ranma, turning into a bikini-clad red-haired girl.
"GYAAAAH!" Ranma-chan sat up like a shot after the splash. "THE HELL WAS THAT FOR, YOU STUPID OLD MAN!?" Ranma-chan immediately punched Genma in the face, knocking him back.
"You're finally awake." Said Cologne.
"Huh? What happened to me? I remember fighting that little Toma brat, then he used some weird technique…" Ranma-chan stopped as she looked down at herself. "Huh? I'm not burned?"
"Of course not. Those flames were nothing more than an illusion." Said Cologne.
"So everything that happened yesterday was all a mirage?" asked Ranma-chan. A small coconut fell on her head and bounced into her hands. She looked up and saw that neanderthal turned from the lobster from before up in a nearby tree picking for coconuts. "Maybe not…"
Cologne then pointed her staff at the ocean. "More importantly, take a look at that."
Ranma-chan looked to where Cologne was pointing and was taken by surprise as she saw an island with a large tower on it. "Huh? Hey! That island wasn't there yesterday!"
"That is the legendary Togenkyo Island." Said Cologne.
"And that's where that Toma kid is!" said Ranma-chan. She was taken by surprise when Soun suddenly appeared in her face, as she had forgotten about him.
"Ranma! You let Akane get kidnapped! Not only that, you let Nabiki and Kasumi get kidnapped, too!" said Soun angrily.
"Hey! Lay off! You're just as responsible too as their father!" Ranma-chan retorted.
"How dare you!"
"Don't worry, Father! I, Ryoga Hibiki, vow to get Akane safely back!" said Ryoga.
"And since when did I become your father?" asked Soun in annoyance.
"The responsibility of rescuing Shampoo and the others lies with you, Ranma." Said Cologne.
Ranma-chan nods. "Don't have to ask me twice, I'd go anyway. Not just Shampoo, but also Ukyou, Bloom, Stella, Flora, Musa, Tecna, Layla, and Kasumi are there, too."
"I was just thinking…" started Ryoga. "If that kid's on the island, then that water must be there, too…"
He, Mousse, and Genma look at the island out in the sea, then suddenly rush out for it while yelling battle cries.
"WAIT! STOP, YOU JERKS!" shouted Ranma-chan as she pushed Soun's head down.
A wave rose and splashed on the three men, and predictably enough, their Jusenkyo curses activated. A panda, duck, and piglet were soon laying in the sand.
"Idiots…" said Ranma-chan. She gets taken by surprise when Kuno suddenly hugged her from behind.
"Oh Pigtailed Girl! Thank heavens you're safe!" said Kuno.
Ranma-chan angrily stomps Kuno's numbskull head into the sand. She then squats down to his level and grabs him by the hair, lifting his head up to face her. She then speaks to him in a cutesy tone. "Oh Kuno, there's a teensy favor I'd like to ask of you."
"A favor?" asked Kuno excitedly.
Later…
Kuno managed to get out an inflatable life boat, complete with boat motor, from the wreckage of his yacht. After getting it ready, the rest of the shipwrecked martial artists board the boat to get to Togenkyo Island.
"This emergency lifeboat ought to be enough to get over to that island." Said Ranma-chan. 'I've got to save them! Who knows what that kid has planned for them! Also, if that water is the real deal…'
She gives a determined look at the island as the boat sailed closer.
Meanwhile, inside Togenkyo Palace…
Sarutoru and his colleague, Wanton, were walking through the corridor as they escorted a blindfolded Stella. Her hands were held behind her back by Wanton. They stop before a door which Sarutoru opened.
"We have arrived." Said Sarutoru.
Wanton released Stella's wrists then removed her blindfold. Slowly opening her eyes, Stella became shocked at the scene before her.
"Huh!? What in the world!?" said Stella. Through the door was a large darkly lit room about the size of a school gymnasium where the floor was a level lower from the door. What caught the blonde Faerie's attention was that it was filled to the brim with hundreds of young women.
"This is the chamber where Prince Toma's bridal candidates await his consideration." Said Sarutoru.
"Bridal candidates? You mean… ALL these girls?" asked Stella in shock.
"That is correct." Replied Sarutoru.
Before Stella realized it, she gets shoved through the door by Wanton. The bikini-clad girl yelps in surprise as she fell to the level below. Thankfully, she fell on a pile of pillows placed below the door. Some of the girls in the room turned to see the latest newcomer.
"Please make yourself at home!" said Sarutoru before he shuts the door.
Stella rubbed her sore posterior after having landed on it on the pillows. "Who do they think they're dealing with!? I'm the Princess of Solaria!"
It was then someone pushed their way through the crowds of girls.
"Stella? It really is you!"
Stella looked up as she recognized the voice. "Musa? And Layla, too?"
"So they got you, too, huh?" said Layla.
"Where are the others?" asked Stella.
"Don't worry, we're all here. We've managed to find each other. They're all in the back right now." Said Musa.
"Well that's a relief." Said Stella, then asked an important question. "Would you mind telling me what in the world is going on here? Where'd all these girls come from?"
"From what we've heard, all these girls were kidnapped from nearby islands and taken here." Replied Layla.
"So it wasn't just our group who was kidnapped…" said Stella.
"There's also another problem." Added Musa. "Remember that magical source Nodoka-sensei said that's been putting a damper on our powers? Well, it turns out to be this island itself."
That got Stella's attention. "Wait, what?"
"Yeah, and because we're directly on it, our magic is practically gone." Said Layla. She demonstrates by trying to form a Morphix ball, but it barely held up before winking out of existence. "You can also forget about transforming, too. Believe me, we've all tried."
Stella had a good idea why the island was neutralizing their magic. "It must be that strange water from before…"
"Huh?"
"I'll explain later."
"In any case, I have no intention of being forced into a shotgun wedding with someone I don't even know!" said Layla. Sure, she kind of had one with Nabu, but at least he went off to get to know her before his secret was revealed that he's her intended fiancé, so it all worked out. This time, however, that's not likely to happen, especially when the guy had her and her friends kidnapped against their will.
"And with our powers practically gone, what're we going to do?" asked Musa in worry.
"Don't worry, girls! Ranma and the others will come for us! I know it!" assured Stella.
"Oh right! He's still out there!" said Layla.
"We just have to trust in him." Added Musa.
"Exactly. Anyway, I'm glad you're all right. We were all worried when you suddenly went missing." Said Stella.
"We're happy to see you too, Stella." Said Musa. "Let's get back to the others."
Musa and Layla helped Stella onto her feet and led her through the crowds. As she followed, Stella had a thought in her mind.
'Ranma, please help us…'
To be continued…
Author's notes:
Another chapter done! Congrats to anyone guessing that the Togenkyo water was the culprit behind the Winx's lack of magic. With their powers practically diminished while on the island, what can they do? Since in this story Ranma is able to control his curse through magic, he's not as desperate with finding a cure compared to in canon.
What do you think will happen next and what differences from canon do you all predict? Let me know in reviews! Also be sure to leave reviews for Dual Destinies (which is completed BTW) and Tekkadread Remastered. I highly recommend giving them a read!
