My Life's Stranger Than Yours
Defeat Taro! Rescued to the Rescue
Taro let out a triumphant snort as his tentacles wrapped tighter around Gohan's body. Despite his best efforts, Gohan couldn't summon the strength to break free. 'Why…why is this happening…? Why can't I…fight back?'
Though he'd continue to struggle to no avail, Gohan's mind began racing a mile a minute, desperate to find the source of his prevalent weakness spell. The only conclusion he could come to was his aforementioned poison theory, but even that was starting to feel farfetched.
'Maybe…if I transform I can…' Instead of relying on muscle, Gohan attempted to raise his power level, but that too seemed ineffective. 'It's no use…' Still considering venom, GOhan quickly abolished the thought of trying again, recalling the effects of Super Saiyan on an ailing body.
Seemingly satisfied with his capture, Taro proceeded to fly off with the still struggling Gohan entangled in his extended limbs, in the direction of the Cranes' hideout.
[Meanwhile]
Ranma bounded through the rocky region, an irritated scowl on his face. 'Don't think I'm gonna let you upstage me Ryoga. If you try anything with Akane, I'm gonna…!'
Ranma's thoughts and sprint paused as a familiar shadow glided overhead. Looking up, Ranma quickly recognized it as Pantyhose Taro. "The Hell's he goin'?" Examining the behemoth, Ranma gasped as he saw a familiar figure dangling from Taro's tentacles. "Is that…Gohan!?"
Once Taro passed, Ranma sighed. "Dammit…it's my own fault. I shouldn't have left him alone…and I'm guessing he didn't find my thermos capsule either…oh well. Guess I'll let Ryoga have this one."
Hopping atop the rocky pillars, Ranma chased after the Jusenkyo 'Demon', calling out to him. "Get back here you Stocking Suck-Up!"
A vein popped on Taro's forehead and he turned to spy Ranma bouncing after him. Aiming two fingers at the pigtailed fighter, Taro shot a blot of ink at Ranma that he was easily able to avoid. He did however, fail to notice the second pool of ink that was right in his landing space, and would proceed to slip on the black puddle and slide face-first into a rocky pillar. With Ranma seemingly disposed of, Taro beat his wings faster and ascended higher.
"Wait, get back here!" Ranma quickly fixed himself and continued to bounce after Taro, but with him flying higher, catching him was turning into a more severe issue by the second. 'Dammit…I gotta get higher! But where do I…?'
Thankfully, Ranma's trek would lead him to some higher rocks that could potentially get him in range of Taro. He just had to be quick. Summoning all the strength he could, Ranma launched himself full speed at the largest rock and upon tapping the rugged surface with his feet, bounced up it's length before doing so again and again until he reached the top, just in time to meet with an approaching Pantyhose Taro.
'Hang on Gohan, I'll save ya!' Cupping his hands together, Ranma prepared to fire a Prideful Tiger Blast at his flying foe, but Taro was quicker on the draw, firing a massive Dodon Ray from one of his free tentacles. Ranma braced himself for impact but was bewildered that the blast wasn't aimed at him. His confusion would be quickly quelled when the ground before him began to rumble.
"Oh God…DAMN-!"
CRAMBLE!
"Gyaaaagh...!"
Ranma yelled as he fell toward the dusty ground, but before he could make it, a long, ropelike tendril grabbed him, keeping him in the air. With a deadpan expression, Ranma said, "I'm guessing he didn't save me outta the goodness of his heart?"
His question immediately getting answered, Ranma was spun around before getting flung into a massive boulder that crumbled on impact. Coughing amidst the dusty debris, Ranma picked himself back up, clutching his arm. His earlier injuries from Tao were beginning to act up thanks to Taro's last attack. Thankfully, Ranma was still well enough to keep on his feet, backed up by his infamous tenacity.
"I ain't done yet ya freak!" he yelled flipping Taro off.
With a snort, Taro dived at Ranma who quickly raised his guard before leaping over his giant attacker. As Ranma flipped over Taro, his gaze sharpened as his eyes fell over the defeated form of one Son Gohan wrapped snuggly in his tentacles.
'I gotta get him outta there!' Twisting himself in the air, so he was now upside down, Ranma prepared to fire another Prideful Tiger Blast at Taro. Before he could launch it however, Ranma could feel something at his ankle. It felt like a hand. With a yelp, Ranma was hoisted upside down, his firing pose broken.
"Sorry boy, but we don't need any of that now, do we?" Glancing up, Ranma gasped to see Shen, sneering at him.
"Where the hell did you-!?"
"Oh pupil, looking for him?" Shen called, cutting Ranma off.
Taro glanced behind him and smirked as Ranma was haphazardly chucked by Shen in his direction. Before he could fix himself, Taro's tentacle lashed out at Ranma. Though he managed to dodge the initial attack, he was ultimately snagged, again by the ankle, and whipped about into a giant rock formation.
Dazed and in pain, Ranma was unable to retaliate against Taro fully coiling his tentacles around him. Satisfied that he'd now captured his two targets, Taro raised his arms victoriously, letting out an enthused, "MOOOOOOOOOO!"
"Well done Son," Shen praised with a slow, yet sincere clap. "You've done well to honor our wonderous academy. Since the red one was your own personal foe, you're free to dispose of him how you wish, but as soon as we deliver the green one, I promise you will be-!"
"Lion's ROAR!"
The villainous duo dashed away from each other as a beam of light passed between them. The source of said beam was an angered, Ryoga Hibiki sprinting straight for them.
"I finally found you old man!" Ryoga exclaimed.
"Ryoga…?" Ranma weakly asked.
"How!? How did you find us!?" barked Shen.
"I may have gotten lost in those rocks, but you can't get rid of me that easily!"
[Moments ago]
Ryoga was raging at his elderly opponent. Every jumping attack he threw would merely be swiftly avoided and Ryoga would find himself getting counterattacked by either a swift kick or a blasted from the Dodon Ray. Shen's aerial mobility kept him at a blatant advantage, and even though Ryoga could counterattack with his Lion Roar Shot as well as other projectiles, the Crane Master was just too quick to land a clean hit.
"Would you get down here and fight like a man you coward!?" Ryoga fumed. 'Even Ranma isn't this evasive in our fights, and he's man enough to fight me on even ground. Or at least, not go places where I can't catch him.'
"You've only your juvenile persistence to blame! If you weren't such a sturdy whelp, this fight would've been over long ago!"
"If you weren't such a damned chicken this fight would've been over long ago!"
"Chickens can't fly you idiot!" Shen snapped.
Ryoga growled at the insult and lifted his umbrella. Holding it like a javelin, he prepared himself to throw it at the Crane master before suddenly pausing. 'Wait a second…' Glancing to his trademark weapon, Ryoga flashed a toothy smirk before strapping his umbrella to his back. Cupping his hands together, Ryoga aimed downwards and shouted, "Lion's Roar!"
In a dusty burst, Ryoga launched himself skyward at his elderly foe who once again floated aside to avoid Ryoga's head on attack.
"This charade is getting very old," Shen groaned.
"Lion's Roar!"
A familiar flash of light shone down from above, startling the bird-headed hermit and colliding with his chest, knocking him down, but not out of the sky.
"What in…how did you…? WHAT!?"
As Shen fixed himself, his eyes fell on the form of Ryoga, seemingly hovering mere meters before him. One hand aimed at Shen revealed a strand of smoke while the other was attached to the handle of his opened umbrella, slowing his descent to a crawl and keeping him airborne for the moment. "You may be able to fly old man, but you're not the only one commanding the skies anymore!"
Shen growled, his irritation finally at its peak. "I'm done with this!" Dashing straight for Ryoga, Shen launched a midair side-kick at Ryoga. The lost boy was able to dodge by closing his umbrella, quickly dropping before reopening it to regain his airtime.
"You'll have to do better than that to…GAH!"
Ryoga hastily pulled his hand back in pain, his palm suddenly scorched red. "What happened to…?" Ryoga quickly let out a sharp, quiet swear as he realized his fatal mistake. A heary yell was heard as Ryoga plummeted to the Earth below, while above the umbrella stood Shen, twirling along with the took as both he and it descended gracefully.
"That should take care of him for the moment. Now, let's see how the boy's holding up…but first."
Increasing the umbrella's rotation with his foot, Shen kicked it away as it parasailed through the sky. As intended, the enraged Ryoga, who had recovered from his meteoric fall, chased after his trusty weapon before disappearing amongst the rocks in the area. Satisfied with his distraction, a floating Shen coolly glided away opposite Ryoga's direction, a twisted sneer on his face.
[]
"I don't know what you did to make me lose my umbrella the way you did, but fortune shone down by leading me right back to you!" Ryog proclaimed.
"Oh…I get it. You tried to make him get lost, but it actually brought him to where he wanted to be. Ya gotta love irony sometimes, huh?" commented an impressed Ranma.
Shen clenched his fists and teeth in irritation. "We've no need to waste any more time with the likes of you! We have what we came for, plus a bonus. If you wish to take the girl back, go on and do so, she's of no use to us now."
"She'll be fine, but I do request you release those two," Ryoga pointed to Taro's captives.
"We're willing to release your red friend, but the green one stays with us," Shen replied.
"Wait!" Ryoga halted. "If we're bargaining, I'll let you keep Ranma and return Gohan."
"The Hell kinda savior are you!?" snapped Ranma.
"Gohan takes priority since I owe him a debt. You'd be merely an unwanted bonus Ranma," Ryoga snarked.
"Why you…!"
"No deal boy. The green boy, the one you call Gohan is an essential prize for us. Still, if you intend to continue to oppose us, then we have no choice but to do…this."
His eyes completely soulless behind his shades, Shen tossed a capsule and in a puff of smoke, revealed a singular pistol.
Ranma couldn't help but gasp. He knew Ryoga was durable, but even he couldn't take a bullet unscathed at point blank range. "Ryoga!"
"Don't insult me Ranma. You really think I can't dodge a simple gunshot?"
"We'll see about that boy." Shen raised his weapon, eyes fixated on his young target. Ryoga's own gaze matched the intensity of the Crane Hermit as the two of them engaged in a stone-cold stare-down.
Time seemed to slow as the two enemies remained fixated on nothing but each other. The one to make the move was Shen who's finger slowly squeezed down on the trigger. Noticing the minute motion, Ryoga quickly dove away from the gun's barrel.
"Too slow!"
In an incredible display of speed, Shen appeared to have vanished before reappearing right in front of Ryoga's path of motion. The Eternal Lost Boy barely had time to gasp as the trigger was pulled and his world turned dark not with a bang, but a squirt.
"Dammit, wrong gun! Huh?" Shen's confusion turned to sinister delight as he laid eyes on a whimpering, small, black piglet right where Ryoga used to be. "Well…what have we here?"
[]
Efforted grunting could continually be heard as Akane hoisted herself up the rocky cave inch, by inch. 'Almost there!' Sure enough, she was nearing the opening where presumably, those metal doors dropped from. If that drone from before was any indication, the kidnapping Cranes' hideout was nearby, and presumably so was Videl…at least she hoped so.
'Dammit…Videl, you better be up here, cause I swear if I climbed this damned rock for nothing I'm going to…!'
CRRRK!
Akane gasped as her hold began to crumble. "No, no, no, no, no, no…!" Scrambling to find a new hold, Akane hopped up to grab another edge, but unfortunately, it too crumbled beneath her.
"Kyaaaaa-!"
Akane screamed out as she rapidly began to fall, and right near the edge of her goal. All the youngest Tendo could do was swear inwardly as she felt the wind sail past her body. Normally she'd wish one of her companions would save her, but realizing how unaware they were of her current predicament, she knew the chances were beyond slim. She could barely even find a grabbable ledge that seemed it could hold her, at least not after that last attempt.
Akane's feared gaze resigned to one of acceptance as she prepared to resign herself to fate when suddenly, nearly before she could even start falling, she stopped. She could feel a hand grabbing at her leg as she'd been falling upside down and instinctively, she placed her hands in front to keep her dress from falling (rising?).
"Well…I admit you weren't the first person I expected to see," giggled a familiar female voice. Glancing up, Akane's face beamed with joy at the sight of her savior; the one she came to save.
"Videl! You're alright!"
"Depends how you define alright," Videl joked. Pulling Akane up onto stable ground, the two girls tumbled over each other before Akane trapped the former kidnappee in a tight embrace.
"Agh…arm-!"
Akane quickly disengaged, apologetically raising her arms. "Sorry, sorry. I'm just glad you're okay."
"Okay's a bit of a stretch but likewise, I'm glad to see a friendly face," Videl eased.
"Still…it is a little embarrassing to get rescued by the kidnappee you're trying to save."
"Ranma's not going to let you live that down, is he?"
"Not if he doesn't find out about it."
"Gotcha…although speaking of rescuing, you didn't come here alone, did you?" asked an alarmed Videl.
Akane nodded. "Of course not. The boys are somewhere out there dealing with Pantyhose Taro and the old guys."
"…Ummm…excuse-?"
"The guy who kidnapped you. His name is Pantyhose Taro."
Videl opened her mouth to speak but Akane cut her off. "Long story short, he was named by Happosai and according to some law, only Happosai can change it."
"That…that's so unfortunate."
"Never mind that now! We have to get back and help them," Akane urgently noted. "I don't know how Ranma and Ryoga are faring against the old guys, but either way, it's going to take all of us to beat Taro!"
"Ryoga?"
Akane nodded. "He got lost…again and found this…whatever this place is. You were chained up before, right? He's the one who set you free."
Realization striking, Videl looked down to her ankle and noted that while the shackle was still there, the chain had indeed been shattered. 'Oh yeah. I didn't even think about how that happened!'
"Guess we're even now," Videl giggled. "But Akane…where's Gohan?"
"Gohan went to fight Taro alone. I remember watching them fight and he had the upper hand, even against Taro's cursed form, but I didn't see how it ended because the old man in the bird hat attacked me," Akane answered.
Videl looked out over the horizon, a stern but noticeably concerned expression on her face.
"What's wrong?"
"Call it intuition but…"
"You think the guys are in trouble?"
Videl nodded. "I don't want to believe that because I know Gohan's way better than that…but I just can't help but feel…"
Videl silenced herself when Akane put a hand on her shoulder. "Whether Gohan's in trouble or not, you're not just going to sit here and wait for him, are you?"
Her eyes brimming with determination, Videl firmly responded, "Not a chance! I may have been out of commission for the bulk of this fight, but that doesn't mean I can't still get a little payback!"
"Right, but where should we go?" asked Akane. "Ryoga's fighting the bird hat guy, and Ranma's fighting the old guy with the helmet so I think they'll be fine on their own. We need to find where Taro and Gohan are."
The two stepped over the edge, surveying the area around them. Despite the battles that should've been taking place, the area seemed suspiciously quiet.
"No good. I can't see anyone from here." 'I've got to get Gohan to teach me how to sense people.' Videl lamented.
"You'd think Taro wouldn't be hard to miss in his cursed form."
"Then maybe he's in human form?" Videl suggested.
"Possible, but doubtful. He wasn't the last time I saw him, and I don't know where the guys could've gotten hot water from."
"Hmmmm…then let's try a real bird's eye view." Taking Akane by the hand, the two girls floated up past the crevice in the rock until they reached the structure's peak. Peering down, they were finally able to view their main target.
"There he is!"
Sure enough, even despite the distance, Pantyhose Taro was smack dab in plain sight. From what they could make out, it looked like he was calmy flying away.
"Where's he going?" asked Akane.
Videl's face grew worrisome, "Where are the boys?"
"They probably had to fall back. I bet he's searching for them. Why else would he be flying so casually like that?"
"I don't know, but whatever's going on, we're not letting him get away!"
"Right!"
Nodding to her partner, Videl descended into a swooping dive, jetting straight for the cursed, chimeric, kidnapper, a vengeful glare flashing in her eyes.
[]
Atop Pantyhose Taro's furry back, Crane Master Shen grinned as the wind gently blew against his mustache. "Well, that was certainly an experience. I hadn't expected any youngsters from outside of Roshi's school to be so…potentially capable. Still, all good things must come to an end, wouldn't you say boys?"
Ranma grunted as he fruitlessly tried to free himself from Taro's tentacles and Ryoga rustled about trying to break out of the sack Shen had tossed him in. Gohan could only fire a harsh but weakened glare at the Turtle School rival. "Where…are you taking us?"
"I'd prefer not to spoil the surprise, but let's just say, you're going to be met with an old…acquaintance of mine."
"Acquaintance?"
"Yeah…although…we do still have to find that AWOL brother of mine so that trip may be delayed."
Taro let out a haughty snort before raising a sign that read, "Your brother can find us! I'm not waiting anymore!"
'Waiting for what?' thought Gohan.
"Yo Pantyhose!" called Ranma. "This wouldn't have anything to do with…!?"
Ranma was silenced as Taro smashed his side upside the Saotome Heir's head, silencing him.
"Thank you boy. Any who, I suppose you're right. You've done well and deserve your reward. We can look for Tao later."
Taro gave a pleased snort as he continued flying. With the Crane duo so fixated on their apparent victory, they failed to notice the flying figures approaching them from the rear.
[]
"There he is!" Akane repeated.
"Good!" Videl raised her power as much as she could, dashing after the bovine behemoth. Once they'd gotten close enough, the heir to the champ let out a distressed gasp at the view of Ranma and Gohan wrapped up in Taro's tentacles.
'What in the-!?' "No…no way…!"
"Videl? We're slowing down. What's the-?"
"GOHAN!" Calling out to her boyfriend, Videl hastily accelerated, startling Akane and throwing the element of surprise out the window.
"Vi-del?" As he whispered her name, his gaze shifted to behind Taro where Videl, Akane in hand was rapidly approaching them. 'She…she's alright!' he inwardly relieved. 'I just wish I could say the same for myself. Dammit…why…can't I power up…?'
With newfound determination, Gohan once again attempted to raise his power level, but once again to no avail. Still, he continued to struggle against his tightened bindings. After a few precious seconds, he managed to free his arm and attempted to pull at Taro's tentacles. With his faded strength however, a fruitless effort. To make matters worse, he wasn't the only one now privy to their imminent arrival. Shen and Taro both turned to the duo and let out a less than interested sigh.
"Oh yeah, nearly forgot about them. Well, lucky us, we won't have to waste time with this perfect little distraction."
"What distraction?" asked Ranma.
Shen looked towards the sack before turning to face the girls directly. Once they were at equal level, Shen flashed the girls a sinister smirk.
The pair were about to go in for an attack when Shen raised the sack. Remaining cautious, the girls hung back, preparing for what they expected to be some sort of counterattack. Instead, he peeled the tip of the sack down, revealing its content.
Their gazes falling onto a familiar dark ball and Videl's eyes lit up. "Wait, isn't that…?"
"P-CHAAAAAN!" Akane cried.
Pleased by the girls' reactions, Shen raised the squealing piglet and chucked him off of Taro's back.
"NOOOOOO!"
Breaking out of Videl's grasp, Akane instinctively reached for her pet, diving after him, Videl subsequently doing the same for her. With the girls distracted, Shen turned back to Taro and said, "Floor it boy."
With a nod, Taro spread his wings and flapped them hard, zooming away from the rocky region in a huff.
"Okay, I don't like Porky that much, but that was just low," Ranma stated.
"It's part of something an old 'acquaintance' of mine likes to call 'Anything-Goes Style'," Shen gloated.
'Anything Goes?' "I knew it! Yo Pantyhose, whatever he's promising you, he ain't gonna-!"
Taro's response was to whip Ranma around before headbutting him, knocking him cleanly out.
"Ech, that one's prattling was getting quite grating. I can see why you don't like him."
[]
The freefalling Akane reached for her ailing pet, who in turn reached back to her with his tiny hooves. Unfortunately, the ground was getting closer as well.
"Almost…almost…."
Twirling into a midair somersault, Akane grabbed P-Chan by the hem of his suspiciously familiar bandana, snuggling him against her chest. "GOTCHA!" For a brief moment, the duo were elated to be reunited that their current predicament was merely an after thought. Thankfully, Videl finally managed to catch up with the two and safely land them on the ground.
"Oh I'm so glad you're okay!" said a relieved Akane. P-Chan happily squealed in response.
"Yeah, but how'd he even get here?" asked Videl.
"Never mind that, we have to find Taro quickly!" Akane proclaimed.
"Right…but…which way did they go?" Videl asked.
The group began to scan the skies with no sign of the cursed kidnapper anywhere in sight. "No, no, DAMMIT!" Videl swore. "Did we really let them get away?"
"No, we can probably still catch em' if we book it now!" Akane replied.
"But book it in which direction?"
The two continued to banter back-and-forth, unaware of the piglet wandering away. P-Chan was about to dash off when a small glimmer caught his eye. Before he could approach it, he was quickly scooped up by Akane.
"No wandering for you mister," she reprimanded.
"You've caused us enough trouble for one day. The last thing we need is to save you a second time."
P-Chan began squealing frantically, pointing his hoof in a random direction.
"What's he doing?"
"I don't know? Maybe he's trying to point us towards the guys?"
The two continued surveying the area until they too spotted the mysterious shine. "What's that?" Videl bent over the small sparkle revealing it to be a capsule.
Turning back to Akane, the Tendo heir simply nodded. Nodding in response, Videl opened the capsule revealing a familiar container.
"Hey, that's Ranma's thermos!" Akane noted.
"He must've dropped this to give us a clue where they're going!" Videl guessed.
"Nah…he's not that bright," Akane discounted. "He probably dropped it by accident. "After all, why would he intentionally throw it away when he could just use it to change Taro back…to…normal…?"
The girls turned to each other in delightful realization.
"You know…even if Ranma did drop this by accident…."
"Who says it still can't point us in the right direction?"
The placement of the capsule wasn't exactly a decisive clue but it was the only one they had. They HAD to take the chance. With no other options, the girls once again interlocked hands before taking off, hopefully after the kidnapping Cranes.
[]
Shen let out a yawn as the uneventful flight rolled along. With Taro long since decreasing his speed after escaping the girls, there was little to do in terms of entertainment, until a soft moan rang through the air.
"Uggh…what happened?" groaned Ranma.
"Oh, so you're finally awake again, eh boy?"
"…We're still not wherever you're takin' us?" asked Ranma.
"Nearly, but I suggest you keep that mouth of yours shut. My pupil is eager to wrap up our little errand, but given his attitude towards you, I don't think he'd mind a quick detour to silence you permanently."
Taro gave an emphasizing snort, while Ranma's expression flattened. As he scanned the nearby air, his eyes came across a familiar sight approaching their captor. "Heh, about time they came to the rescue," he muttered with a snicker.
"What's so funny?" asked Shen.
"Oh nothing…just this moron's train of thought," Ranma taunted.
Taro growled before shooting Ranma a dirty glare. "I dunno why he wants Gohan, but he ain't gonna give you watch you want Pantyhose, so you'd be better off just letting us go and gettin' lost."
Taro growled as Shen added, "What are you speaking of boy?"
"I could tell you…but I'd rather wait until AFTER the girls get here."
"The girls…? Wait!" Shen quickly whipped around to find Videl and Akane once again on route to intercept them.
"No…how did they find us? And so quickly!?"
A listening Taro raised his free tentacles, aiming them all at the two girls. "Heads up Videl!"
"I see em'!" Videl was prepared to dodge a barrage of tentacles, but was caught off guard by a familiar, thin, beam of light firing from the tendril.
"Wha-!?" Videl swiftly ascended, the blast barely missing Akane. "Okay…wasn't expecting that."
"Guess I missed that part of the fight," Akane joked.
The tips of Taro's tentacles began to glow and Videl ascended again, avoiding the continuous fire of Dodon Rays. "We'll never save the guys unless we get in closer!" Akane stated.
"No offense, but it's a little hard to maneuver like this," Videl countered.
"Then let's switch things up."
Seeing the girls seemingly hanging back, Taro briefly ceased his assault on Shen's orders, taking the moment to assess their next actions. Seconds later, the girls were once again in hot pursuit of the giant chimera, this time with Akane on Videl's back, giving the pseudo Z-Fighter the freedom she needed to get really aerodynamic.
"Here they come again! Fire!"
Taro once again unleashed a barrage of blasts at the duo. With their new pose, Videl was able to much easier avoid the attacks while advancing their pursuit. Though it took a deal of effort, they managed to get close enough to Taro to finally counterattack, though Shen was determined to keep that from happening.
"No you don't!" Adding to the offense, Shen aimed his finger at the two girls and prepared to fire the Original Dodonpa. Before he could unleash the blast however, his vision was obscured by the rapid poundings of tiny hooves.
"Gaagh-!" Shen quickly tried to free himself of the little black obstruction while Akane was more than a little bewildered at how her tiny pet's behavior.
"P-Chan? How…when did…?"
"Guess he wanted a bit of payback too. I don't think he liked being tossed out of the sky earlier," joked Videl.
"Speaking of tossing…" Videl turned to a winking Akane, quickly understanding her implication. With a hearty ascent, the two locked hands before Videl dove into a midair flip and with all the strength she could muster, hurled Akane right at Master Shen who'd finally managed to remove P-Chan from his face.
"Why you little…!"
"Don't you DARE!" striking with a midair tackle, Akane halted Shen's second attempt to discard the little piglet who, in term perched himself on Akane's head as she attempted to keep him pinned down.
"You disrespectful whelp! Pupil!"
Taro raised his tentacles to assist his mentor, but before he could attempt to grab Akane, they were swiftly blown back by a small sphere of energy, courtesy of the still airborne Videl, her hands cupped together.
"Akane, the capsule!" Videl yelled before dodging another grab attempt.
"R-right!" Akane quickly reached into her shirt and pulled out a capsule, quickly uncapping it to reveal Ranma's thermos.
Shen's eyes quickly grew wide as he knew what this would mean for Taro. "No!" With a hasty grunt, Shen shoved Akane off of him, making her drop the container. When he reached to grab it, he was once again lightly pummeled by a furiously squealing P-Chan.
"You filthy…!"
Akane quickly reacquired the Thermos and got to work unscrewing it before she was beamed in the head by her own pet, staggering and dropping the thermos yet again, this time, off of Taro's back.
"No! Videl, the thermos!"
With a nod, Videl dove down and luckily caught the cylinder, but not without her ankle just barely getting snagged by Taro's tentacle. "I got…dammit….!"
With a panicked yell, Videl was whirled around before Taro slammed her into his own back, specifically into a defensive Akane who was focused on Shen. With the two girls recoiling from the impact, Taro then lifted them up with his tentacles, pleased to see their barely conscious forms drop the meddlesome container one last time.
Unbeknownst to him however, the thermos wouldn't hit the ground, but would instead land in the gloved hand of his first major captive. Realization flashed across Gohan's face. Though his second hand was still wrapped in place, Gohan would still be able to unscrew the thermos with his thumb, thanks in no small part to Akane loosening it. Gohan urged himself to move faster when he heard Shen let out a snicker.
"Well little ladies, you've caused us quite the ruckus. I should just throw you off, but in addition to this one being able to fly, I think you two will make a nice little bonus."
"Bonus?" groaned Akane.
Shen's expression turned notably dour before he dismissively replied. "Don't ask. Trust me you don't want to know."
"Know what?"
"Patience. I promise you'll find out soon…!"
Shen paused as the hairy ground beneath him completely vanished and both he and his treasured pupil hovered in the air while their captives fell into a swift descent.
"…enough…" Shen finished.
"What the hell happened!?" Exclaimed Taro.
The girls managed to compose themselves, Akane grasping onto a floating Videl before glancing back at a bewildered Shen and Taro
"Look! Taro's human…again…."
Everything froze as both girls turned beet red and Taro glanced downward, realizing that since he'd just come out of his cursed form, he was completely naked.
Akane and Videl shrieked, shielding their eyes, as did Taro before darting away, ashamedly calling out, "DON'T LOOK AT ME!"
"Get back here you fool!" Shen chased after his exposed pupil.
Once the noise had died down, the girls opened their eyes to find that Shen and Taro had both disappeared.
"Well…of all things that happened to me today, that was not something I was expecting to…" Videl was cut off by a fierce whoosh, blasting straight into Videl, nearly knocking Akane off her back.
"Whaa-!?"
Recoiling from the shock, Videl found herself being tightly held not only by Akane, but from a an ecstatic Gohan, who had the biggest relieved smile on his face.
"Gohan…."
"Videl…I'm so glad you're alright!"
A light red tint on her face, Videl returned the hug wholeheartedly and replied, "Likewise."
"Ummm…excuse me," Akane interjected. "I'm sorry to break up your guys' reunion but…where's Ranma?" Akane asked.
Gohan's face lit up. "Gah! I almost forgot about him! I'll be right back!" With a sense of invigoration, Gohan let his power flare, blowing the girls back a bit before blasting downwards into a vapid descent. 'Huh…my energy feels normal again!' he mentally noted.
[Meanwhile]
A hysteric Pantyhose Taro continued to zoom away from our heroic group with Shen in hot pursuit. "Will you get back here you moron!?"
"Not until I get some clothes on dammit!"
"Did you forget I can turn you back to your monster form!? As soon as you put the clothes on, they'll be destroyed again!"
Taro immediately halted in the air and let out a calming sigh. "Apologies…I was…swept up in the moment."
"Good, now just hold still. They may have caught us off guard, but we're not leaving without that green goober!" Shen reached into his robe, pulling out the same gun from earlier. "I knew there was a reason I brought this thing along. Just to be safe, Sehn shook the gun and confirmed the sound he wanted to hear: the swooshing of water. Finally, Shen pointed it at Taro and fired.
[]
A similarly hysteric Ranma could only flail helplessly as he descended faster and faster towards the earth. Sure he could keep himself afloat a little longer with his Tiger Blast, but that wouldn't amount to much when there's nothing to land on or rebound off of. He continued to rack his brain, trying to find a way to save himself until he found himself safely in the grasp of a warmly smiling Gohan.
"Are you alright?"
A pouty Ranma crossed his arms before replying, "Fine, except my pride…."
"Well that has a…familiar ring to it…" Gohan chuckled.
"Gohan!"
Turning to his name, Gohan saw the girls approaching them, Videl with a rather estranged look on her face. "What's wrong?"
The two girls pointed upwards revealing a furious Pantyhose Taro diving straight at them, Shen once again surfing atop his head, his finger already primed to fire his school's signature attack.
"This guy just don't know when to quit, don't he?" snarked Ranma.
Gohan rather crudely tossed Ranma into a flustered Videl while Gohan floated above them, his expression unreadable behind his bang.
"Gohan?"
"Videl, I've been holding myself back because I needed him to tell me where you were," Gohan began. "A big mistake since, while I don't exactly know how, he had a way to take me out of commission."
"Dude, what are you…?" Gohan's monologue continued, cutting off the confused Saotome.
"But…since I know you're safe and sound now…" Gohan's lips slowly twisted upwards as he was quickly revealed to be wearing a stern, yet rather sinister looking smirk on his face. "…There's no reason for me not to cut loose anymore, is there?"
"What does that…?"
Videl and the Nerima fighters were once again blown back by a small surge of Gohan's energy. With a fierce yell, Gohan let his power spike before blasting off straight for Taro and Shen.
"What the…!? Where did all that Chi come from!?" asked Ranma.
'And where was it when he was wrapped up before?' Videl mentally added. 'I know he said he was holding back, but something doesn't seem right here.'
"Chi or not, we'd better go back Gohan up before he gets himself caught again!" said Akane.
Videl flew off after Gohan, though not at the invigorated speed one would expect of someone worried for their better half.
"What's the holdup Vi, fly faster!" Ranma complained.
"Don't make me drop you."
"Sorry…though now that I think about it, you still owe me a flyin' lesson!"
"Ask me again in a chapter or two."
[]
There was near silence in the empty void of this rocky wasteland. The silence would be shattered by the enraged moo of a crazed flying beast, diving for a group of airborne adolescents. One of those teens however, would meet the monster head on, flying straight towards it.
The monster's rider, glared at their green-clad opponent, his finger aimed straight towards him. "You've caused us quite enough trouble you clown. He just wants you, he never said you had to be alive!" Taro once again pointed his tentacles at the rapidly approaching Saiyaman before also raising his finger. On Shen's command, the two of them fired blast after blast of the infamous Dodonpa, Gohan seemingly vanishing between the blasts, avoiding them effortlessly. Taro once again attempted to grab Gohan with his tentacles, but having learned from his past mistakes, Gohan wasted no time in grabbing the first tendril and swinging it and them around, tossing them in the direction of the spectator trio, who barely missed Taro's falling form."
[]
"Whoa…!"
"The hell did Gohan do to make that happen?" asked Ranma.
His question would go unanswered as a familiar green blur whizzed past them after Taro who seemed to be recovering. Once Taro regained his awareness, he quickly fired a Dodonpa at Gohan who subsequently vanished from sight.
"Dammit, where did he go?" asked Shen.
"Ka…me…"
Shen and Taro both scanned the area, Shen's expression shifting from confusion to cautious anger. 'No…it can't be…!' Shen could never forget those infamous syllables.
"Ha…me…"
The pair finally found their target above them, a blue sphere of light visible beneath the sunlit glare.
"It is his technique!" Shen snarled. 'Hmph. So, he is one of Roshi's boys, eh? Well that'll make it all the more sweeter when my newest star pupil blows this green clown out of his cape!' "Get all those tentacles up there boy, I want to see the largest Dodonpa ever fired!"
With a snort, Taro aimed his finger and all 8 tentacles in a single massive stream. Shen in turn added his own power to the blast with a tenth Dodon Ray. The yellow rays all converged into a single massive burst, rising right for the still charging Gohan.
His unwavering expression was only met with a single thought. 'This is for Videl.' "HAAAA!" With the single furious yell, Gohan let loose the Turtle School's Legendary technique, instantly overpowering the Multi-Tiered Dodonpa.
"What!? No-no-NOOOO!" Shen let out a fearful holler while Taro was determined not to give up. Pouring more energy into the blast, Taro desperately tried to repel the Kamehameha, letting out a desperate, throaty 'Moo' all the while. Ultimately it would all be in vain as he and Shen were completely engulfed in the blue light.
Videl, Ranma and Akane finally caught up only to shield their eyes in the face of Gohan's overwhelming energy attack.
"The Hell is that light?"
"Is that…Gohan?"
Videl only gave a small smile as the light finally died down revealing Gohan, still in his firing pose, his palms smoking. On the ground below lay an unconscious Pantyhose Taro with Shen's twitching arm seen among the sprawled-out form of his tentacles.
Floating back at attention, Gohan let out a soft exhale before starting a soft descent. When he and the others finally touched ground, all he had to say was, "It's over."
(A/N: Well, this battle is finally over and done with. Taro's a tough customer, but this fight was starting to drag on even for me. I admittedly wanted to have Videl play something of a bigger role in defeating Taro, but I think helping rescue Gohan so he could finally end things for good should be plenty. I'm mostly satisfied with how things turned out, but who knows, I may go back and redo this chapter or at least write an alternate ending. Though speaking of endings, we're not quite finished with the Crane Crew yet. There are still questions to be answered…although I think you may already know the answer to one of them. Who was Shen taking them to? Why would Taro get involved? Why was Gohan so helpless [I PROMISE I will explain it next chapter, for real this time, and everything will make…some sense. Although, there is still only one person who figured that whole thing out.]? The answers to these questions and more, next time.)
