"okay Ranma now clear your mind, visualize the water around you, now imagine it being forced back into like a bubble" Ariel explained, Ariel, Ranma and melody were in the river, Ariel was teaching Ranma how to turn water into a shield around him so that he and melody wouldn't be turned in the rain and if they ended up in another tank they'd be able to force the water back and prevent the transformation. However, Ranma was having a problem with this, he could create bubbles around him but couldn't make a bubble around him that would force the water back. "here Ranma watch me and perhaps you'll get a better idea on how to do it" Ariel said, Ranma then opened his eyes to see his mother, who looked like she sixteen again when ever she took her mermaid form, her eyes closed and hands in a prayer style, she then breathed and Ranma's jaw then dropped as the water around Ariel was pushed back, Ariel then flopped to the bottom of the bubble without the water to swim in anymore and took her human form again and continued to push the water back, this time her hands raised and her body in a X position, she then opened her eyes and looked at Ranma and smiled.
Ranma continued to try after his mothers example, however, he was having little look. "Ranma don't force it you'll master it in time, your still new to this and I'm impressed with what you have managed to master already…Ranma do you remember what you told about the day you left the Tendo's how you said you became male without hot water, I think that could have been done similarly as your mind was clear and your link to your mermaid self was strongest so the simple desire to be male again triggered the transformation, so you need to focus on connecting to your mermaid self, just not today, we'll try tomorrow Ranma okay?" Ariel said and Ranma only nodded in reply.
"I'll just go for a swim, I need to clear my head" Ranma said as he turned to swim off and up the river.
"okay, just be home soon" Ariel said.
"I think I'll go for a walk okay, I need to get used to nerima while we're here" melody said as she began to surface.
"okay just come home soon" Ariel said.
"don't worry mom" melody replied as she flopped out of the water and on to the grass to dry out, Ariel also came out and turned human again and did the same to her daughter.
Meanwhile Ranma was half way up the river 'I have to master this, mom said I have to connect to my mermaid self perhaps it'll be easier to do if I remain in this form for a while' Ranma thought to herself…half an hour later…Ranma stopped in her tracks when she saw who sat on the grassy plain staring at the lake, "Nabiki" Ranma said to herself, she then sunk to the bottom of the lake and watched her, she was looking for something, or someone, she was probably looking for her and melody, the younger weaker mermaids, Ranma then looked around from beneath the water and didn't see anyone else nearby or any traps awaiting her, Ranma then rose to the surface, with her head above the water, but the rest of her stayed below the water. "what do you want Nabiki?" Ranma snapped at her.
Nabiki smirked when she saw Ranma "what makes you think I want anything Ranma?" Nabiki replied with false innocence.
"Nabiki for one you never come here, two you find out we're mermaids and this is the closest body of water big enough for us to use, also you see us as an easy profit so if your looking for us you go to the biggest body of water that's nearby" Ranma retorted.
"well you've picked up a lot haven't you" Nabiki said in a mocking voice, she then smirked and pulled out a small box with a red button and antenna fully expanded and pressed the button and ripples and waves erupted in the water, causing Ranma to begin to panic "what I want Ranma is you and your family" Nabiki said as a net arose from the water and caught Ranma and hoisted her out of the water, Nabiki had called in a favour and had a crane from the other side of the river, the construction zone catch something for her, Ranma glared at the net then at Nabiki.
"you will stay away from my family" Ranma warned.
"or what, your in no position to make demands and threats now are you" Nabiki mocked as she smirked at her.
"you wanna make a bet, mom's not the only one who controls water" Ranma yelled as she summoned tow pillars of water from the river and made them into drill shape and launched small water spears from them which froze before cutting the net, Ranma then fell into the water, he then threw the giant drills of water at Nabiki, just before the water struck her she press another button on the box, she was then thrown through a fence, however, the net above Ranma then fell upon her gave her a shock, electricity thundered through her body, until she smoked, Ranma then sunk, unconscious to the bottom of the water, Nabiki then stumbled to her feet and approached Ranma, smirking she then looked down at the bottom of the lake from the surface, Nabiki then dragged her out of the water and into the Tendo residence, she then put Ranma into a cage she had purchased, after all you have to spend money to make money she then locked it lowered the cage into another tank she then placed a lid on the tank and put a hose into a hole in the tank and had water pumped into it, Ranma awoke to find herself in a cage, in a tank full of water and Nabiki with a camera a long with a line of customers waiting to be let in, Ranma then focused herself and tried to make the bubble so she could revert to human before the crowd came in, bubbles were made, yet none shielded her from the water, Ranma then fell to the bottom of the cage exhausted, Nabiki smirked, her plan was working and she would soon have three mermaids on display instead of one.
Melody had been walking around town and found a flyer saying live mermaid on display at the Tendo dojo, there was even a picture of Ranma, melody then headed to the Tendo's and saw the line of customers, she walked strait past them ignoring the complaints and walked into their garden and saw Ranma in a cage, unconscious, in a tank, she then saw Nabiki looking at Ranma, she had something in her hand but it was hidden by her leg, melody then approached Nabiki. "let him go" melody said threateningly as approached her, Nabiki just faced her and smirk, she then held up a water gun and shot it at melody and within that moment she flopped onto her back, a mermaid , Nabiki then smirked and tossed melody into the tank and opened the top of the cage and watched melody swim to Ranma to check on him, she then closed the cage and locked it and closed the tank, now she only needed the mother and her plan will be complete and all that will be left to do is line her pockets.