My Life's Stranger Than Yours

(A/N: Time for more review replies

Khim: Gohan hasn't show his full strength yet, so Ranma doesn't know yet that he can't beat him (though that may change shortly) all he knows is that Gohan is a martial artist, and just mentioning martial arts is usually just enough to get Ranma interested in anything (or at least give him a confidence boost such as with Martial Arts Figure Skating).

Richard Ryley: I get your point about Shinnosuke, he was just the first example that came to mind.

asdf: Fair point, but as far as Videl knows right now, Akane's just a regular girl with a quirky friend who happens to be a decent martial artist. Videl sees Akane as someone on a simialr tier to herself, and while Videl has more combat prowess than her father (thanks to Ki training with Gohan), I think even she realizes that she has less physical strength than him, so seeing Akane do some crazy strength feats would be a bit alarming to say the least.

MythAnime: Believe me, I haven't forgotten Dragon Ball's comedic roots. All I can say is hang tight cause I do have plans to introduce more of the Dragon Ball cast soon enough, but don't forget that Akane and Videl are the stars of this story. Although I think Akane being more important in Ranma's story than Videl is in Dragon Ball's has a hand in why there's more Ranma focused stuff right now.

With all that said and done, let's get to it!)

Mystery Solved; Prepare for Battle

"You will PAAAAAAAY!"

Ryoga dashed forward and thrust his umbrella at Gohan who was standing right behind Videl and Akane.

The two girls dashed aside as Ryoga's attack made contact, but to his, Ranma, and Akane's surprise, Gohan had caught the umbrella with a single hand.

A dumbfounded Ryoga feverishly tried to pull his weapon out of Gohan's grip but to no avail.

"Whoa, that was close," sighed a relieved Gohan. "Are you girls okay?"

"Fine," Videl answered dusting herself off.

"I...I'm fine too," replied a stunned Akane.

"Hey! Don't ignore me!" boomed Ryoga, still pulling on the umbrella.

"Oh, sorry," Gohan replied.

As Gohan released his grip on the umbrella, Ryoga pulled with all his might and wound up flinging himself backwards and onto the ground. As Ryoga shook off the shock, he was approached by Gohan who extended his hand.

"Are you alright there?" Gohan asked.

Ryoga responded by swatting Gohan's hand away and backflipping back onto his feet into a defensive stance with his umbrella.

"Hmph, so you're a good sport at least," Ryoga conceded. "But don't think that means I'll forgive you for your crime!"

Gohan and the others raised their eyebrows in confusion.

"Crime? What crime?" asked Gohan.

"Enough talk!" snapped Ryoga.

The enraged Lost Boy swung his umbrella at Gohan who once again doged the blow with ease. Ryoga continued to strike with his unorthodox weapon until Gohan managed to catch it a second time.

"An opening!"

Quickly releasing his grip on the umbrella, Ryoga threw a punch at Gohan's stomach. To his surprise, Gohan caught his fist and held Ryoga still.

"Look," Gohan began. "I don't know who you are, or why you're so angry at me, but please, let's stop this pointless battle," he pleaded.

"Pointless battle!?" Ryoga snarled. "Believe me, this fight has PLENTY point to it!"

Raising his free hand, Ryoga threw a punch at Gohan's face that the young saiyan once again dodged. Retreating from his futile assault, Ryoga stood fast as Gohan tossed his umbrella back at him, which he easily caught.

"Well...if you don't mind...could you tell me what the point is?" asked a confused Gohan.

"Here's the point," Ryoga began. "I can't allow lecherous scum like you who peeps on innocent girls to live!"

Gohan's face instantly lit up with embarrassment, as did Akane and Videl's.

"That was an accident!" Gohan quickly defended.

"Ryoga, wait! You don't have to do this! I can explain everything!" Akane quickly tried to console him.

"You don't have to explain anything Akane," Ryoga replied. "Just stand back and watch me bring this bastard to his knees!"

Ryoga launched his next attack at the furiously blushing Gohan. Before either of them could make the next move, Videl intervened.

"Hey wait a second, how did you know about what happened with Gohan and Akane!?" she demanded.

Ryoga instantly ceased his attack, frozen in his striking pose.

"Come to think of it, Videl's right," Akane added.

"Yeah, Ryoga, how DID ya know?" Ranma egged him on.

"W-well...I..." Ryoga stammered.

In reality, he'd been there from the start in his cursed form. It was pure coincidence that getting thrown off the balcony would land him into a body of hot (enough) water to change him back to normal, but with Akane there, he couldn't let them know that.

"Believe it or not, it was PUUUURE coincidence!" Ryoga exclaimed pulling a microphone out of nowhere.

"I was just strolling through the city, having lost my way, when out of nowhere, I happened to hear a familiar voice screaming!" Ryoga explained.

"I knew instantly it was Akane, and being the chivalrous martial artist I am, I rushed towards where the sound was coming from to help...and I'd have shown up sooner if not for my cursed trouble with directions!" Ryoga dramatically fell to the floor.

'Chivalrous?' thought a sarcastic Ranma. 'Keh, hypocritical much?' he mentally deadpanned.

Videl narrowed her eyes at the hysterically sobbing Ryoga, not buying any of his story. She was about to comment on it, until Akane beat her to it.

"Oh Ryoga, I'm glad you were just trying to help, but seriously, everything's alright now," she assured him.

"Wait, you actually believe him?" asked a skeptical Videl.

"You don't know Ryoga like we do," Akane replied. "Unlike some others," Akane sharply glanced at Ranma, "Ryoga's actually a pretty nice guy. He just has a bad habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"That's the understatement of the decade," Ranma added. "Moron would get lost in a one story building that only takes up like, a few yards."

"Who you callin' moron!" Ryoga boomed.

Before Ryoga could make a move towards Ranma, he was stopped by Gohan placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Whoa, take it easy now," Gohan said. "We just ended one situation, so let's not start another one."

"Hands off pal!" Ryoga exclaimed, darting away from Gohan.

"Ryoga, stop!" Akane pleaded. "I know you got lost when all that happened, but seriously, everything's been resolved now, you don't have to fight Gohan for my sake."

"Gohan? Who said anything about rice?" Ryoga asked.

"Is...is everyone going to make that joke the first time they meet me now?" Gohan asked.

"Well, I didn't," Videl chimed in.

"You?" Ryoga said turning back to Gohan.

"Yeah, my name's Gohan," he finally introduced himself. "I know you were just trying to defend Akane's honor, but I assure you, that whole thing that happened was an accident. I'd never do anything to disrespect anyone like that, especially a girl."

Ryoga narrowed his eyes. "Why should I believe you?"

"Well for starters, he has a girlfriend," Ranma began.

"And he knows that if he intentionally did something like this again, she'd kick his ass!" Videl concluded, causing Gohan to let out a sheepish chuckle.

"Wait, you two are...together?" Ryoga pointed to Gohan and Videl.

"Is that a problem?" sneered Videl.

"N-no, I just..."

"That shouldn't be surprising for you Ryoga, I mean, don't you have a girlfriend yourself?" reminded Akane.

Ryoga briefly paused then let out a panicked yell.

"Gaaaaah! I completely forgot! I'm supposed to be meeting with Akari!"

Ryoga began to make his way out of the yard, but paused.

"You!" Ryoga pointed to Gohan.

"Me?"

"You're lucky I've got someplace to be, so I'll let you go for now, but I have full intention to finish this fight!" Ryoga proclaimed. "I'll be back within a week's time, so you'd better prepare yourself!"

Having said his piece, Ryoga quickly darted away from the Satan Manor, in a trail of smoke.

"Hey! Who said my house could be your battlefield!?" Videl shouted at the vanishing Ryoga.

Gohan just stared in disbelief at Ryoga's retreating form, still completely lost to the current situation.

"Uhhm...what just happened?" Gohan asked.

"I...think Ryoga challenged you to a match," Akane answered.

"Heh, so first you make a move on my fiancee, and now you're tryin' to steal my rival? Unbelievable," said Ranma.

"I didn't do either of those things!" Gohan protested.

"Dude, chill. I was joking."

As Videl giggled at the exchange, Akane went over to examine something on the ground that wasn't there before.

"Hey what's this?"

"What's what?" asked Videl.

All eyes were on Akane as she picked up a folded piece of paper and opened it up.

"It's a map," she revealed.

"Ryoga must've dropped it when he bailed," Ranma guessed.

The group examined the map for a few seconds before Videl asked, "What the hell kind of map is this?"

The map they were viewing had no synergy whatsoever and was overall, just nearly impossible to make out aside from some...fairly decently done drawings.

"Well like we said, Ryoga gets lost pretty damn easily, so I'm guessing it's one he made himself," answered Ranma.

The group continued to examine the map until a specific drawing caught Videl's eye.

"Hey look at that one!" Videl pointed to an area at the side of the map. "That looks like a picture of my father!"

Ranma grabbed the map out of Akane's hands, despite her protests and turned it aside.

"You sure?"

"Yes! It's not a very good drawing, but I think I know what my own Dad looks like, snapped Videl."

Ranma let out a sigh. "I knew it."

"Knew what?" asked Videl.

"Ranma...you're not thinking what I think you're thinking are you?" asked Akane.

"If you think I'm thinking Ryoga's the guy who trashed the old man's dojo, then yes, I am," answered Ranma.

"What!?" exclaimed Videl.

"Oh come on Ranma, what makes you think Ryoga did it?" Akane asked.

"Well the old guy has his face on the place right, so Ryoga drawing the picture here might mean he's been there before," Ranma guessed.

"Not exactly," interjected Videl. "There's a sign with Dad's face at the city limits too, so it might just mean he found his way to Satan City, not necessarily the dojo."

"Yeah," added Akane. "And there's still no proof he was even at the dojo in the first place."

"Uhh...actually..." The previously silent Gohan chimed in.

"Remember what the police told me they found out about their prime suspect?" he began. "Though it almost slipped my mind with everything happening so fast, I just remembered what they said."

'Don't tell me...' Ranma and Akane simultaneously thought.

"According to witnesses, the suspect was a fairly bulky young man with black hair, wearing a yellow shirt and bandana with black pants, carrying a large sack," Gohan revealed.

At Gohan's revealation, Videl's eyes sharply narrowed and she clenched her fist tight, enraged.

"While he didn't have a sack with him, that does sound like it could've been Ryoga."

"Gohan, you just confirmed it was Ryoga!" Ranma exclaimed. "I knew it!"

Akane let out a defeated sigh. Though she didn't want to believe it, she couldn't argue that Ryoga was looking more and more likely to be their culprit.

"Why that...!" Videl growled. "I don't believe this! Why would he do that? How could he do that?"

"Like we said, he probably got lost again and wound up at the dojo by complete accident," Ranma replied. "As for how, he knows a technique that can blow through rock so he probably dug his way in...or out...either way, he's the only guy I could think of that could make a crater like that."

"I don't care what he knows!" Videl proclaimed. "I'll make him pay for this!"

Gohan placed a calming hand on his girlfriend's shoulder. "Videl, you need to calm down. I know how you feel about your father's dojo, but you probably shouldn't go rushing headfirst into battles like this."

Videl sighed. "I know you're right Gohan, and I'm sorry, but I can't just let him get away with this!"

Videl cracked her knuckles, her body shaking with anticipation. "He said he's coming back here in a week to fight you right? In that case, I'll be the one to fight him instead!"

"Videl, are you sure that's a good idea?" Gohan asked.

"Don't waste your time."

All eyes turned to Ranma who smugly had his arms crossed behind his head.

"What do you mean by that, Ranma!?" Videl snapped.

"I've seen you fight and while you're pretty good, Ryoga's in a whole other league," Ranma answered. "I should know, he's my rival."

"So what, you're saying I can't win?" Videl asked, an eyebrow narrowed.

"I'm saying that you got a long way to go before you can go against Ryoga."

"Why you...!"

Before Videl could retaliate, Ranma was pounded into the ground by Akane. "Just cause you have a point doesn't mean you have to be a jerk about it!" she glared.

"What do you mean 'he's got a point'?" Videl said.

"Exactly what it sounds like. Despite Ranma's tone, he's right, Ryoga's REALLY strong and tough to boot. Whenever he and Ranma fight each other, things usually tend to escalate to some pretty crazy degrees."

"Take the crater in the dojo for example," chimed in a recovered Ranma. "If he can do that just from a casual stroll through nowhere, think what happens when he fights for real."

"Videl...?"

Gohan turned to see Videl with her head hanging low, though instead of any signs of negativity, her body was brimming with determination.

"I appreciate your concern guys, but don't worry, I can do this!" she proclaimed holding her head high.

"Videl are you sure about this?" Gohan asked.

"You bet Gohan, after all, I've got my family's honor to defend!"

"Although, it sounds like I'll REALLY have to prepare for this fight!" Videl added.

"That shouldn't be a problem, after all, you got two weeks," said Ranma.

"Two weeks? Didn't he say just one?" asked Gohan.

"Yeah, but given how horribly lost he gets, he won't find his way back to this city for at least a few days afterwards, another week tops."

"Sorry, but I don't think anyone could be that bad with directions," said Videl.

"Heh, get to know Ryoga a little better, he'll surprise ya," Ranma replied.

"Still, do you think two weeks will be enough time for her to prepare for someone like Ryoga?" Akane asked. "After all, even you still have trouble fighting him Ranma."

"Don't worry guys, Gohan will help me train. Won't you Gohan?" Videl beamed.

"I will?"

Videl softly narrowed her eyes.

"I mean...of course I...will," Gohan shakily chuckled.

"Great! After all, it's been a while since we've trained together seriously, haven't we?" she winked.

"Yeah, I guess."

"You think your boyfriend can help you stand up against Ryoga?" asked a skeptical Ranma. "He told me he wasn't that much of a martial artist."

"Though now that I think about it, didn't he defend against you AND Ryoga attacking him?" Akane said to Ranma.

Videl giggled. "He may not look it, but Gohan's actually a lot stronger than he'd lead you to believe," she praised. "Heck, he's the one who taught me how to fly." Videl added.

"Wait, what!?" Ranma and Akane yelped in surprise.

"Videl!" Gohan cried.

"What? It's not like it's a secret...anymore at least."

"You showed her that floating move?" Ranma asked.

Gohan slowly nodded his confirmation.

Ranma furrowed his brow in contemplation. After a brief moment of thought, he made a proclamation.

"Good news guys, I'm gonna help you two train!"

"Huh?"

"Nobody knows how to fight Ryoga like me so it makes sense that I should be there to help Videl fight him."

"Ranma, drop the charade," interjected an irritated Akane. "You don't want to help Videl train, you just want to be there to learn...whatever Gohan's going to show her!" she said pointing an accusing finger.

"Well, if Ranma wants to join us, I don't mind," Gohan replied.

"Huh?"

"Yeah, it's no problem at all," said Gohan. "And like he said, if he knows how to fight Ryoga best, then maybe it would help if he joined us."

"But...but...!" Akane stammered.

She's seen Ranma do some underhanded things to get what he wanted, but the fact that he was trying it here and the person he was trying to trick was just letting him get exactly what he wanted caught her completely off guard.

"You know Akane, if you want to join us, you can too," Videl added.

"Wha-wait, really?"

"The more the merrier, right?" joked Gohan.

"Yeah. Besides, I'll need a sparring partner won't I?" Videl said.

"S-sure...I'll be glad to help however I can!" Akane exclaimed.

"Well then I guess that's settled," Videl said crossing her arms. "We'll meet at Gohan's house in a couple of days, cause I think we all could use a break after today."

"I'll say," Gohan agreed.

"Likewise."

"Ditto."

"If you want, I can give you two a ride home at least," Videl offered.

"That'd be great!" Akane beamed.

"A ride in what?" asked Ranma.

A short while later, Videl's familiar yellow aircraft could be seen blasting through the skies of Satan City, once again destined for the Tendo Dojo.

[Elsewhere]

Unbeknownst to the quartet of fighters, a certain pale boy was cackling to himself, having accomplished his mission.

'Kuno-Senpai's gonna love this. Once I tell him where the new girl lives and he decides to take her instead, I'll have Akane all to myself!'

"Hehehehehehehe!"

(To Be Continued)

(A/N: This...did not turn out how I expected it to. I went into this thinking I was gonna do a fight between Gohan and Ryoga and came out setting up for a fight between Videl and Ryoga. How the hell did I even do that!? Either way, the identity of the dojo destroyer's finally been revealed, as if everybody didn't already know who it was, and Videl has a bone to pick with him, but not to worry, her mysteriously powerful boyfriend is gonna do whatever it takes to make sure she comes out of this fight with as little damage as possible. What's more, Ranma and Akane are tagging along for the ride, and with the training taking place at Gohan's house, Ranma and Akane may get more than they bargained for. And no, I didn't forget about Kuno wanting to 'court' Videl, but that's for another time. Even I have no idea what's gonna happen next chapter, so if you want to find out with me, stay tuned!)

PS. Is it just me, or do these last couple of chapters feel kind of...weak?