"Hello everyone! Welcome to the forty-fifth Mixed Martial Arts Regional championship! For those of you who aren't familiar with the rules, don't worry! We will be displaying them for every match up to the semi-finals!"
On the big screen were four arenas. Each had a different logo on the floor of the cage.
"For newcomers, let's explain how each section works. The first is the Single's tournament, where individual fighters fight one-on-one matches until only one fighter remains! The winner of the singles will automatically be given a pass to the national tournament. Next we have double battles, where teams of two will fight until one team is taken out. Please note that a team may be declared a winner even if their partner is taken out. The third ring is the Round Robin match, where teams up to four compete in a battle royal until only one remains standing. The final ring is for the Weapons tournament. This is a ring where only registered weapons can be used, and guns are a big no-no. Blades are allowed, but must be blunted or kept sheathed. We don't want any fatalities here!"
The big screens changed to show the tournament listings.
"Now everyone, here is the listing for each tournament. For a specific style, check the main lobby. There will be a fifteen minute intermission between each match, so you'll have plenty of time for restrooms or snacks! And if you miss a match, don't worry! Recordings are shown in all hotels in the city and are up for sale after the tournament. Contestants will also automatically receive a free copy of their matches to better prepare for next year. Now, let's take a look at the listings!"
"Ah! There's Kiyone-chan!" said Tohru.
"Kiyone, fight!" shouted Uotani.
"Why did I agree to come here again?" muttered Kagura.
"Because Yuki thought Tohru would be around a bunch of men, but for some reason chickened out at the last minute," said Hanajima.
Yuki would have gone, but he quickly realized with how enthusiastic Uotani was he might transform around the girls by accident. So he made a quick compromise and called Kagura to take his spot, since it wouldn't really matter if she bumped into one of the girls, and was violent enough to do damage to any men trying something.
"Hey look, it's Kiyone!" said Tohru.
"Who's that red-head?" asked Uotani.
"Saotome Ranma. Heir to the Musabetsu Kakuto Ryu style martial arts. She's also a guy," said Xian Pu.
"EH? With a bust like that?"
"Close to Joketsuzoku is cursed springs. Whoever falls into spring turns into whatever died there many year ago. Cold water activates the curse, but hot water reverses it. No cure found," said Xian Pu.
Kiyone had claimed Joketsuzoku as her home town and that she had been homeschooled there. Kon Lon backed her up, so the school had accepted her transfer and no one was the wiser. It wasn't like they could hack the computers of the village when there were none.
And since the village had heard of the name she gave her female half, they would back up that she came there. The irony being that Kyo first became Kiyone at the village.
"So...he fell into a spring where a girl drowned and now become a girl when wet?" said Uotani incredulous.
"Happens more than you would think," shrugged Xian Pu.
"Okay, this I would have to see for myself," said Uotani, not believing it for a minute.
"I think I remember which room Kiyone will be in between matches," offered Tohru.
"It would be irresponsible of us not to cheer them on personally if they make it past the first round," said Hanajima.
The initial fights were little more than appetizers for the semi-finals. For the most part the fighters would have three matches before they were done for the day, and if they impressed the judges of their particular tournament, then even if they lost they might be able to fight in an exhibition match and still earn a spot in the nationals. They had to be really impressive though.
"Fighting for the Nerima District: Saotome Ranma and Xia-Long Kiyone."
"Eh? But I thought Kiyone-chan came from our district?" asked Tohru.
"Tournament rules state that partners must be from same district. Is unusual, but not against rules for fighters to claim a different district than the one they live and go to school in...so long as their teacher or dojo originates from the same district as their partner," explained Xian Pu. "Great grandmother is Kiyone's teacher, and we currently live in Nerima."
"Is your great grandmother really that old woman with the cane?" asked Uotani. Xian Pu nodded. Uotani grinned. "I heard she's a tough old broad."
Xian Pu nodded again, with a pleased look on her face.
"It's starting!" said Tohru.
She wasn't that interested in fighting personally, but that didn't mean she couldn't cheer on Kiyone. She got along best with Uotani, and by extension she got along with Tohru and Hanajima. She was gruff, but really nice once you got to know her.
"Sugoi... I knew Kiyone was good but this..."
"Kiyone is natural chi fighter. Ranma is very speedy and quick in girl form," said Xian Pu.
"Natural chi fighter?" asked Hanajima.
"Kiyone born able to read flow of chi. Is very rare these days, but she has been studying hard to learn how to use her natural ability," said Xian Pu.
Kiyone's fists blurred, and without warning her opponent slumped asleep.
"What was that?" said Kagura.
"Shiatsu technique," said Xian Pu.
"Shiatsu?"
"Under the skin are certain points that if use can have different effects on the human body. For example you can put someone to sleep...or in Kiyone's case learn how to manipulate memories with the right herbs and pressure points."
On the screen for the tag-team fights, Ranma and Kiyone's face came up.
"Winner: Saotome Ranma of the Anything Goes Martial Arts and Xia-Long Kiyone of the Joketsuzoku."
The fans watching the match cheered.
For the first round, Kiyone and Ranma dominated their opponents, though it took Ranma a couple of simple mishaps to get used to fighting with a partner. Fortunately Kiyone was generally easy going with her friends, and she did her best to avoid getting in Ranma's way.
Hanajima got a bucket of hot water to throw on Ranma to see if she really did become a guy. Xian Pu had a sneaking suspicion today was going to be full of surprises, and not just for Hanajima.
One moment Kiyone and Ranma were chatting about their next match in the second round, the next they were drenched in hot water courtesy of Hanajima.
"Holy crap. She really does become a..." started Uotani...before she realized someone else had changed.
Where Kiyone had been was now a very familiar orange-haired teen. Familiar to Tohru and Kagura at any rate. Kagura actually had a comical expression on her face when she realized what happened.
"Kyo...kun?" said Tohru.
Kyo sighed.
"Well, it was fun while it lasted."
"Is that the cousin you were making fun of while you were in curse form?" asked Ranma, pointing at the lone guy.
"No. What, did that dumbass Rat chicken out at the last minute?" asked Kyo to Tohru and Kagura.
Kagura nodded numbly.
"He realized he would be around girls too close for comfort and the risk was pretty big, so he asked me to step in for him."
"What a wuss. Bet you anything he'll be all over Tohru like a hawk once she gets back. Oh, and I brought the 411 just in case."
"You did bring...?"
"Of course I did, but I'm not going to risk having it get out so soon," said Kyo. He reached for the water pitcher and poured two glasses, which he dumped on both of them. "Kagura. If you want answers you can wait until we're alone."
Later that night on top of the hotel for the contestants...
Kyo was leaning against the railing looking at the city below. Kagura walked up, unsure how to react to the boy she had a crush on for years.
"Kyo...kun?"
Kyo turned and sighed.
"I fell into the spring of Drowned Girl by accident when the guide showed up at the worst possible time and shouted something about a curse. Naturally it got my attention but Shishou's punch sent me flying. The Amazons agreed to let Kon Lon-sensei take me on as apprentice, which means I automatically become part of the tribe, even with a curse."
"But why are you going around as a girl?" asked Kagura. She was somewhat hurt Kyo had tricked her like that.
"Do you know what happens when I'm hugged by a boy in girl form?"
Kagura shook her head.
"Nothing. I still transform if the bracelet is removed, but for the most part absolutely nothing happens. Though as a guy I do avoid girls just in case, since I still transform anyway."
Kagura's eyes were wide.
"You... You found a cure?"
"We tested it extensively. I'm more or less free of the Zodiac curse as a girl. Though we're not entirely sure what would happen if a girl fell in. odds are you'd have to be in curse form in order for it to take, but I'm hoping the springs might be the cure for the clan," said Kyo.
"Why haven't you told Akito about this?"
"Because Akito is a control freak. How do you think he'd react if he found out that there was a way to cure us and get us out of his thumb? Do you remember what happened to Hatori?" asked Kyo flatly. Kagura winced. Hatori was partially blind in one eye because Akito went ballistic.
Kyo sighed.
"Another reason I don't talk about the cure is because of the fact most of the clan hates me. How do you think they'd take the fact it was the Cat and not the Rat who found the solution? Not a perfect one, but something that is strides away from the way we've been forced to hide our curse?"
"What is 411?" asked Kagura. She had been wondering what that odd phrase was.
"Formula 411 is a concoction of herbs that when used with shiatsu points can erase or lock memories. I brought it just in case Tohru's friends found out about the curse by accident, so Hatori won't have to do it and Akito won't remove her from the house," said Kyo. "The formula to reverse it is 911, ironically enough. I've mostly got the points memorized, but if anything happens odds are I'd have Xian Pu do the erasing to insure it's done right."
Kagura stared, but inwardly she was relieved.
"You're not going to erase my memory are you?"
"Not unless you blab to Yuki about the fact that the girl who's been annoying the hell out of him in class is in fact the same Cat he hates so much," grinned Kyo mischievously. Kagura giggled. It was funny to hear someone actually rattle Yuki's cage.
"You know, it was pretty impressive how you fought today with your friend. Almost as impressive as that boy with the umbrella beating out all the others with his sheer...What?"
"Boy with the umbrella?" repeated Kyo dumbly. There was only one teen their age who could beat someone with his umbrella, but his infamous directional sense would have kept him from coming...or he would have gotten lost and been forced to forfeit.
"Hibiki Ryoga," said Kagura, wondering why Kyo had the look of someone about to laugh their ass off.
"Oh this is too funny. Ranma has to hear this!" cackled Kyo. He'd met Ryoga a few times. The boy got along as well as most did, but he hated Ranma for sticking him with the Jusenkyo curse...among other things.
Ryoga was infamous as the perpetually lost boy, because he had to be lead everywhere otherwise he would end up in Hokkaido or Osaka instead of the bathroom! He was as bad as Hatsuharu was!
Ranma, predictably, laughed his ass off when he heard.
It was pretty clear someone had to be leading Ryoga to and from the arenas, otherwise he would have gotten lost at this point.
Tournament rules forbade competitors from asking about the room numbers of others, but only if they were participating in the same arena.
Kyo got Ryoga's hotel room and decided to bring Ranma and Kagura with him. Odds were they get a good laugh later.
And if not...well who would be better for the girl cursed with the Year of the Boar than a guy who had all the stubbornness of a pig and was cursed to turn into one? At the very least Kagura would be able to understand what he was saying in pig form!
Ryoga wondered who was knocking as his door this late at night. At least until he saw a familiar pigtail.
"Dammit Ranma, what do you want?"
"Relax P-chan. I brought snacks and friends. At least ones that would understand the curse," said Ranma with amusement.
He didn't bring the snacks, but Kyo had.
Ryoga reluctantly opened the door.
"Yo," said Kyo, holding up some bag from the snack station in the lobby. Behind him was a girl who looked somewhat nervous.
They settled in on the spare bed. Apparently Kyo's guess had been right...Ryoga had accidentally signed up for the tournament and warned the officials about his sense of direction...so every morning someone would lead him to the arena where he would stay put until his matches. Then someone would insure he got to the hotel room without getting 'lost'.
Apparently this wasn't the first time a Hibiki had attended a regional tournament.
"So what do you want?"
"Before we say anything, this is my cousin Kagura. Like you she can turn into a pig, though in her case she was born with this curse. I have one like it, but it would upset Ranma to a point none of us want at the moment," said Kyo.
Ryoga looked at the blushing girl with wide eyes.
"You have the same curse?"
"Similar, not the same," clarified Kyo.
"Ano... the requirements to change shape are different. I don't need water to change, and the transformation has an unstable time limit before it reverses," she explained.
"Ironically it looks like the Jusenkyo curse is the closest thing to a cure for our curse," said Kyo.
"Ah, the hell with it," announced Ranma suddenly, as he dumped a glass of water on Ryoga.
One minute he was there, the next there was an angry black piglet squealing furiously at him.
"Well there's hardly any call for such language," commented Kagura.
The pig stopped squealing and looked at her in disbelief.
"Did I forget to mention that anyone with our particular curse can speak to the animal they're cursed with?" said Kyo.
Kagura picked up the pig and hugged it.
"He's adorable!"
Ryoga blushed, but it was hilarious to Kyo.
"Told you she'd be a perfect match for him," he muttered.
"Yeah, but normally he goes for the stubborn ones."
"Just wait. She once threatened to kill me if I didn't agree to marry her when we were kids while holding a large rock over her head. And she can scare the crap out of anyone once the mood hits her," said Kyo flatly.
On the plus side, Kyo had at least set the beginnings of an unusual relationship between Hibiki and Kagura. He definitely believed those two were a match made in hell.