My Life's Stranger Than Yours
(A/N: Welp, I finally did it. I FINALLY got a new workable computer! I also quit my job, but that's neither here nor there since I'm all lined up for a new one. The point is now, I have a machine that I can comfortably work with which means I may be able to get newer chapters out a faster pace or at the very least, the chapters I'll release at my current pace may be longer. With all that said, let's get right to it!)
The Powerful Point of Impact Technique; Videl's Training From Hell
"I…have…RETURNED!"
Furinkan High had let out for the day and as all the students began pouring out through the gate, they were met with none other than an extremely harsh looking Kuno who was barely managing to hold himself up with his wooden sword.
"Huh…Kuno's back?"
"He was gone?"
"Yes, I Furinkan High's Blue Thunder have finally managed to find his way back from the depths of He-!"
THWACK!
In an instant, Kuno was met with a fist to the face, cutting off his speech and planting him 6 inches into the ground. Following a brief silence, Ranma, Kuno's assailant, let out a deep exhale.
"Ha…I feel SO much better now," said an upbeat Ranma.
"Rnnnmh Shatome-MMPH!"
The muffled declaration was interrupted by Akane stepping on the still grounded Kuno's head and trancing off in a rush.
"Huh, where's she goin'?" Ranma thought aloud.
"Ran-ma…Saotome…!" Kuno strained as he picked himself up.
"So Kuno, where ya been the last couple of days?" Ranma cracked his knuckles. "I've actually been lookin' for ya!"
"I've…no time to…waste with you, riffraff…. I must prepare for my rematch with…!"
Kuno was once again cut off and subsequently thrown back into the ground by Ranma's foot connecting with the back of his head.
"What's wrong Senpai?" Ranma said through grit teeth. "Don't you wanna take a minute to greet your favorite 'kouhai'!?"
Kuno once again picked himself up off the ground and held his sword poised for battle. The only things that could be heard for the next several minutes were the sound of Ranma cracking his knuckles and a vengeful scream of "RANMA SAOTOME…!"
[Elsewhere]
Akane's brisk jog quickly accelerated into a light dash as she hurried over to the Cat Café. 'She said she'd be able to find it from the sky…I just hope I can catch her in time!'
[Meanwhile]
Videl soared through the skies of Satan City, making her way over to Nerima. As she increased her speed, her comm watch began to beep.
'Oh…I do NOT have time for this!' she mentally groaned.
"This is Videl!" she said into the comm.
"Videl, it's me!"
"Oh, Gohan! What's up?"
"I was just wondering where you disappeared to. You bolted from class so fast, the others and I missed you."
Videl facepalmed. She'd forgotten she hadn't told Gohan (or anyone else) about her training with Cologne. "I just wanted to get out to do some training. You do remember my fight with that Ryoga guy, right?"
"Of course, but if that's all, then do you want me to lend you a hand?"
"Thanks for the offer Gohan, but I wanna try something a little different." Videl replied.
"Different how?"
"That's for me to know," she playfully winked. "You'll just have to wait and see…Oh! before I forget, this training may take a few days so…we may not be seeing much of each other outside of school," she quickly added.
"Awww, for real?"
Videl couldn't help but giggle as she could flawlessly picture the pouty expression on Gohan's face.
"Oh, don't feel too bad Gohan. Who knows? Maybe when we see each other again, I might have more of that okonomiyaki from last night." She said in a teasing manner.
"…Well…that does sound nice," Gohan sheepishly replied.
'I thought he'd enjoy that.'
"If you change your mind though- "
"I know, you'll be there for me."
"Always."
Videl ended the call and let out a loving sigh. While she did get annoyed from time to time when Gohan got a bit too protective whenever fighting was involved, it was still nice to have someone so supportive on her side. Vigorously shaking her head, Videl quickly shifted her focus from Gohan to her impending training session as she finally arrived in the skies of Furinkan.
[ ]
As Akane finally arrived at the Cat Café, she was met with Shampoo who was returning from a delivery on her bike.
"Shampoo!"
"Hmm…Akane here, where flying girl?"
"Where do you think?" chimed in a new voice.
The two Nerima natives turned upwards to see Videl softly descend by Akane's side.
"Shampoo surprise you show up."
"Hmph, you didn't really think I'd just run away from this, did you?"
Shampoo merely gave a huff before opening the door and inviting her rivals inside.
"Great Grandmother, Akane and Flying Girl here now!" Shampoo called.
In just a short minute, Cologne pogoed over to the girls with a pleased look on her face. "So, you decided to show up after all. Not going to lie, but I almost thought you'd flake on me."
"You too?" Videl scoffed. "Just who the hell do you think I am?"
"Well, you've certainly got the right attitude. But before we begin, let's discuss compensation," Cologne reminded.
Videl tensed up. She hadn't forgotten that Cologne wanted something in return, but the fact that she had no idea what Cologne could want greatly unnerved her. Akane and Dr. Tofu laid out the possibility that she'd want her to get involved with some plan to ensnare Ranma, and she had no intention of involving herself with that mess. If she had to turn down her offer, at least she could always train with Gohan…right?
"In exchange for my agreeing to train you girl, all I ask for in return is…"
"Is…?"
There was a pregnant pause before Cologne gave her answer.
"An audience with the Turtle Hermit himself."
Silence.
"…Huh?"
"I wish to meet the Turtle Hermit in person…you can do that, can you?"
"Y-yeah. That's no problem at all," Videl stammered.
"You don't sound like it's 'no problem'…" Cologne said taking note of Videl's tone.
"It's really not a problem, I…just wasn't expecting something so…simplistic."
Cologne let out a hearty snicker. "What, were you expecting me to say, 'I wanted some impossible to find antique' or something?"
"I don't know what I was expecting, I just know it wasn't this…," Videl chuckled.
Akane raised a skeptical eyebrow. 'While I'm glad Cologne's request isn't too…out there, why does this feel too easy?'
"Well, if you have no more questions, then please, follow me," Cologne ordered.
"Actually…I do want to know why you want to see Master Roshi so badly," Videl asked.
"Sorry girl, but you're going to have to earn that answer," Cologne replied. "Shampoo, keep an eye on the restaurant."
With a dejected sigh, Shampoo headed back to work while Videl and Akane followed Cologne, shooting the two a disdainful glare.
A few moments later the girls were assembled behind the Cat Café, large stones scattered all over the area.
"What's with all the big rocks?" Videl muttered.
"Now, before we begin, I must once again remind you that even if you manage to succeed in learning this technique, there's no guarantee that you'll be able to defeat Ryoga. After all…"
"…He's Ranma's arch-rival for a reason," Videl finished. "Not to be rude, but I've heard this song and dance before, and I get that I'm outmatched. Either way, I'm not turning away from this fight," Videl declared sternly.
'Hmm, even if she does fail, her spunk alone will have at least made this somewhat entertaining,' Cologne smirked.
"In that case, let's not waste time." Cologne motioned to one of the rocks, and the girls followed her gaze.
"Now, punch that rock as hard as you can," Cologne ordered.
"Huh?" Once again, a beyond simple request caught the two young girls off guard. Regardless, Videl took a fighting stance before one of the rocks and with a yell, launched her fist into the rock, full force.
Videl grunted as the impact took more of a toll on her hand than it did the rock, despite a small piece chipping off. If not for her fingerless gloves, her hand may have taken some actual damage.
"…Is that really all you've got?" asked an unimpressed Cologne.
"What? You asked me to punch it, and I did," Videl replied shaking her hand.
"The point of that was to ascertain your physical strength. You're fighting skill and technique is adequate, but that won't help if you don't have the power to back it up. Considering you have the ability to manipulate your Ki, I expected you to completely shatter that rock," Cologne explained. "If that was the extent of your power, then even IF you learn the technique, you still wouldn't have a prayer against Ryoga. Seriously, even for Akane there, shattering a stone such as this is mere child's play."
"What's that supposed to mean!?" exclaimed an offended Akane.
Videl didn't wish to admit this out loud, but she knew what Cologne was getting at. Though she had no problems winning against opponents much bigger than herself, she knew that if they'd been contests of pure muscle, she'd have more than a few extra hardships. Even her father, despite whatever lies he may have told or whatever Gohan or the other Z-Fighters may say about her being a better fighter than him, did still have more physical strength than her. She could break through more than a few bricks all right, but even she couldn't break her father's record of 19 or punch through the side of a bus.
Trembling with frustration, Videl exclaimed, "What even is this technique anyway? You keep talking about how it'll give me a fighting chance, but what is it even supposed to do?"
Cologne closed her eyes and sighed. "The Point of Impact Technique."
"Point of Impact?"
"Akane, you recall The Breaking Point Technique, yes?" Cologne asked.
Akane nodded. "Of course, that's one of Ryoga's signature moves."
"What are you guys talking about?"
Ignoring Videl, Cologne hopped beside the rock she had previously punched and simply poked it with her finger. In an instant, the rock shattered into hundreds of tiny pieces. The girls had to shield themselves from the shower of pebbles as the accompanying dust began to clear.
"What…what just happened?!" asked a dumbfounded Videl.
"That was the Breaking Point Technique. You see, everything in nature has a breaking point that, when hit with the correct amount of force will cause it to shatter," Cologne explained.
'Unbelieveable….'
"However, there is one exception to this." To prove her point, Cologne hopped in front of Videl and poked her in the forehead.
"Whaaaaaa…!"
"Calm down girl!" Cologne ordered. "Like I was saying, the one exception to the breaking point, is the human body."
"O-oh…" Videl let out a relived sigh.
"Wait…" Akane interjected. "I understand showing Videl the Bakusai Tenketsu so she'll know what Ryoga has up his sleeve, but what does this have to do with the technique you're trying to show us now?"
"Everything Ms. Tendo," Cologne replied. "Point of impact is actually a variation of the Breaking Point Technique. The original Bakusai Tenketsu was initially created to deal with rocks in quarries, which is why it doesn't work on humans. This technique, however, does."
Hopping back a short distance, Cologne stood perched on her staff in an intimidating fashion. "Now Ms. Satan, come at me!"
Videl shot a glance over to Akane who could only shrug. With a sigh, Videl took a fighting stance before she dashed at Cologne, poised to strike. Firing off a low kick, Videl attempted to sweep Cologne off her feet, but the elderly Amazon simply hopped over the spunky fighter's attack and countered by thrusting her staff at her.
With an impressive display of speed, Videl caught the end of Cologne's staff, but left herself wide open. Cologne then slid down the staff until she was level with Videl's midsection. She then lightly tapped her tiny fist into Videl's gut.
"Ughh…"
Videl barely had time to react as a great pressure swelled up in Videl's midsection and she found herself lying laying down in a pile of jars, outdoor tools, and other miscellaneous junk.
"Videl! Are you alright!?" Akane quickly rushed over to Videl's side and helped her back to her feet.
"Owww…what…what happened?" Videl asked rubbing her sore spots.
"I just demonstrated the Point of Impact Technique," Cologne replied.
"Okay but…what…" Videl paused as she slowly fell to her knees, her body still shaking after getting launched away like that. "What did you…do!"
"The Point of Impact Technique is exactly as it sounds. While the Bakusai Tenketsu is all about finding a specific area on an object and striking it with sufficient force, the Point of Impact is all about containing the force until the exact moment you make contact with your opponent." Cologne explained.
"Allow me to elaborate. When you draw the string of a bow, the arrow has potential energy. When you release it…"
"…It becomes kinetic energy!" Videl finished. "Yeah, we just happened to be circling around this topic at school," she chuckled.
"It's great that you understand the idea but putting it into practice is another story. The POI is a technique that only a martial artist who's familiar with harnessing their Ki is able to perform because in this case, your ki is the bow being pulled back."
Videl looked down at her hands as she slowly but surely began to understand Cologne's explanation. "So all I have to do is channel my energy into my hands and hold it there until I want to attack?"
"So, you DO understand," Cologne grinned. "Alternatively, you could also just use your Ki to enhance your physical abilities the old-fashioned way, like a burst of adrenaline. That may not be so useful in this upcoming bout with Ryoga, but it may help in the future. Just some food for thought."
At Cologne's words, Videl couldn't help but think back to how Gohan initially explained flight.
"You basically just channel your energy underneath you, and let it lift you up."
'Hmmm…I wonder if it's basically the same as how Cologne just explained it…'
"Now then. Before you can work on learning the technique itself, we'll first need to build up your strength," Cologne proclaimed.
"Okay then. Let's get started," Videl replied. While she had a look of pure determination on her face, Akane's expression on the other hand became noticeably grim.
'I've seen Cologne's training methods before, and if this technique really is like the Bakusai Tenketsu, then you're going to be in for one hell of a ride. Still, I'll be here to back you up every step of the way!' Akane inwardly proclaimed.
"First things first, you'll need the proper gear for this training," said Cologne.
[A few minutes later]
"What the Hell is this!?"
The girls, Shampoo included, were all reassembled in the kitchen where all eyes were on Videl who was clad in a pink and red traditional Chinese outfit that looked cross between both Chi-Chi and Shampoo's normal attire.
"Shampoo admit, it actually look not bad on Flying Girl," Shampoo complimented.
"You know, she's not wrong," Akane added trying to quell the situation.
"Well the Nekohanten doesn't have a specific uniform, but you have to at least wear the proper attire if you're going to work here," Cologne answered.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, when did I agree to work at your restaurant!?" Videl burst.
"It's part of your training. We'll get to the rough stuff soon enough, but for now, this will just help to build some of that old strength."
"How is working at your restaurant supposed to help me build strength?" asked a disbelieving Videl.
Cologne proceeded to hop over to Videl and swiftly attached a choker to her next. Before Videl could ask what happened, Cologne pointed to a cup on the nearby counter with her staff. "You see that cup over there? Would you be a dear and fetch it for me?" Cologne smirked.
Videl sighed but complied. As she attempted to reach for the cup, Videl realized that she was unable to move her legs.
"H-hey…!"
Videl continued to try and take a step but was still unable to move. She then tried to simply reach for the cup but found that she couldn't move her arms either.
"What the hell!? What gives!? Why can't I move!?"
"Oh! Did I forget to mention that that isn't an ordinary uniform you're wearing?" Cologne snickered.
"Wha-!? AHHHH!"
In the next instance, Videl harshly fell down barely holding herself up on her hands and knees. Akane once again moved to help her friend but was halted by Cologne.
"What you're wearing now is an old Amazonian training uniform designed specifically for raising up a person's Ki. Because Ki control is so rare among Martial Artists in this day and age, I unsurprisingly, never get to use this thing. It's time for this baby to finally pay off!"
"Wait, so I'm just your guinea pig now!?" Videl boomed.
"Cologne, what are you planning with this?" Akane asked.
"It's really quite simple. You see, when you first put the uniform on, it was nothing more than a plain old outfit. However, once I added the piece de resistance, the choker, it activated the uniform."
"Activated…what?"
"You're feeling a great deal of weight on your body aren't you?"
"You…think!?"
"You see girl, you can raise your Ki the same way you build up physical muscle through basic strength training and the like. This is merely taking that concept to a much greater level. This uniform, when activated will instantly increase in weight for whoever wears it in accordance to their base Ki level. The smaller your Ki, the heavier the uniform will feel on you, and vice versa. All you have to do is work until you're able to move around in that uniform as naturally as being naked!"
As Cologne explained the purpose of the uniform, Videl continually struggled to pick herself up. Once she finished though, a panting Videl was finally back on her feet. "So…you're saying I have to keep this damn thing on…at all times!?"
"Well…for most others, I'd say yes, but given the circumstances, I'll be nice and take the uniform off for you at closing time every night. However, in exchange for that, you must come DIRECTLY here after school until this part of the training is complete, capice!?"
Videl hesitated to answer. It's true she had told Gohan that she'd be busy for a while, but she had a life outside of school and training and wasn't too sure if she was ready to throw that all aside for a grudge that, while completely justified, didn't seem to mean much anymore in the grand scheme of things.
"Of course, this does seem to be a bit much, so no one will blame you if decide to drop out. At the very least I had a good show watching your match with Shampoo," Cologne taunted.
Videl narrowed her eyes at the snarky elder's words. Sick of being talked down to by this old crow, for a few brief moments, the impending fight completely vanished from Videl's mind as all her focus shifted to a burning desire to make Cologne eat her words.
Standing up as straight as she could, Videl let out a strained but determined, "Let's…do this!"
"Glad to have you on board Videl," Cologne snickered. "Get to showing her the ropes Shampoo, the dinner rush is nigh!"
'Dinner rush?'
Videl had been to enough fancy and local restaurants to know how crazy they could get during the evenings. As a vision of a large group of people swarming the place flashed through her mind, Videl's face became a light shade of blue.
'What have I signed up for?'
[A few moments later]
After a reluctant string of goodbyes, Akane had left the Cat Café, a feeling of uneasiness washing over her as she made her way home. 'Maybe taking her to see Cologne was a bad idea. I know she needs the help, but can she really do this…?'
Before the worry could fully set in, Akane lightly slapped both her cheeks with her hands. "Don't think like that! Videl's a strong girl. You just need to have a little faith!" she thought out loud.
Before long, Akane finally arrived back at the Tendo Dojo, where she was warmly greeted by Kasumi.
"Welcome back Akane!" said Kasumi.
"Hey Big Sis."
"And where have you been all day, Little Sis?" inquired Nabiki.
"Nowhere special, just out with some friends."
Before the conversation could continue, Nodoka burst into the room and quickly exclaimed, "Oh Akane, you're back! Have you seen Ranma anywhere?"
"Ranma?" Akane closed her eyes as she attempted to recall the last place she'd seen him. "Come to think of it, I haven't seen him since school let out."
"I know Ranma's more than capable enough to handle himself, but I just can't help but be a bit worried," said Nodoka.
"That ol' Maternal Instinct kicking in, eh?" said a snide Nabiki.
[Meanwhile]
Ranma could be seen strolling down the streets with the most satisfied smile on face. "Man…now that was cathartic…and I'm not even sure I know what that word means! Whatever it means, I ain't felt this good since I got my strength back after that moxibustion nonsense!" thought a beaming Ranma out loud.
'Well, now that I got all that outta my system, I think I can finally start trainin' seriously again! I ain't gonna let some little squirt make a mockery of me!' No sooner than Ranma had finished the thought did he find himself falling down an open manhole that he hadn't bothered to step over.
'Goddammit irony…'
Elsewhere, on the outskirts of a city not too far away from Furinkan, a battered and bruised Tatewaki Kuno could be seen limping on what was left of his wooden sword, cursing the name of his most hated adversary repeatedly under his breath.
"Damn you…Ranma Saotome…I swear…I will end you someday…so swears…The Blue Thunder…Tatewaki…Ku-!"
Before Kuno could finish, his makeshift crutch finally snapped causing him to tumble and fall to the ground. The last thing Kuno saw before he finally blacked out was a strange image of of what looked like a man's face; a man with a great deal of fuzzy hair.
(A/N: I actually managed to get two chapters out in a month! It's a miracle! Like I said in the first A/N, now that I have a comfortable, powerful machine to type with, future updates should be a piece of cake. Now it all depends on my writing mood. On a semi related note, I've also started cross posting this fic on ArchiveOfOurOwn[Same Username, 'AnimatedGamer'], where I'll also be cross posting Shattered Academia, the couple of one shots I've done recently and also some…OTHER stories not typically suited for FF…if you know what I mean [Yakko Warner: Goodnight Everybody!] (I used to keep those on Tumblr, but after'The Purge', they need a new home). Keep in mind, not all of My Life is on AO3 yet, but once I catch up, it'll be updated at the same pace as it is here going forward as will any other future story I may write up when I'm bored. With that being said, Videl now has a taste of what lies for her at the end of this proverbial rainbow, but will the journey for the metaphorical gold be worth it? And it seems like she's not the only one who may have found herself a new master as everyone's favorite wannabe samurai finds himself face to face with…you know who! Training Commences, next time so stay tuned!)
