CHAPTER 8

-"RYOGA'S LAST DECLARATION OF LOVE! RANMA VS. VEGA... PLUS ANOTHER BATH BEATDOWN!"-

It was 9:30 pm. At the Secret Fortress of the Red Cat Gang, a huge airship landed near those mountains…from it, the doors open, and many Shadowloo armed-soldiers come out and form a 2 line division… Three gentlemen appear…one of them was a black Afro-American boxer. The second was a slender man, with blonde hair in a long pig-tail, a claw on his hand and a mask that covered all his face, and with a tattoo of a snake on his chest. The third was a huge bald man with a black eye patch and blue trunks…they were Balrog, Vega, and Sagat …the last man to step out was M. Bison.

"So, this is the place. Hmph, not exactly what I expected." M. Bison remarks.

"Why are we here anyway?" Sagat, Bison's right-hand man, asks.

"We were asked to join some Red Cat Gang."

Balrog blinks. "'Red Cat Gang'? what the heck is that…? Some bunch of pussy cats?"

Vega snickers, "Hoo hoo hoo hooo. How funny is that?"

M. Bison replies, "I don't know, but, I was told to meet them, so let's go."

Then they walk to the gates of the castle. There, Delia awaits them. "Hello gentlemen, we are so glad you made it."

"Yes, well, take us to your um…leader," Bison says.

"Yes, please come with me."

Then they follow Delia inside. While walking, Vega takes a look at Delia's 'behind' (that pervert!) He was very fascinated by this girl's beauty.

Vega thinks: Mmmmm… My my, this girl has such beauty in her. I wonder if I can 'play' with her later.

Without turning around, Delia warns the lusty matador, "I suggest that you keep your mindless lustful ideas to yourself, for if you value your soul, keep your space."

Vega gasps, "ACK…!!" Did she read my mind?…No way!

"On the contrary, I read your feeble mind like an open book."

Then, Delia escorts them to the Throne Room, where Dr. Wily, Bass, Bubbleman, some Red Cat Gang Soldiers, High Priest Erick and the statue of the Cat Ghost King are awaiting them. Erick is first to greet the Four Bosses of Shadowloo. "Hello M. Bison, we are so glad that you've decided to come here."

The Cat Statue glows as it speaks. "Meow, I the Great Cat Ghost King salute you, gentlemen."

"Yes, well, I came here because I was told of a partnership." Bison tells the group.

Erick confirms the reason for the High Lord of Shadowloo's presence today. "Yes, you are correct, but before we discuss business, how's about if we have lunch?"

"Perhaps you're right."

"Then, if you'll come with me I'll take you to the dining room," Delia says.

NERIMA WARD OF TOKYO:

Ryoga was heading back to the Tendo Dojo. He's made a decision, a BIG decision:

"Okay now, now it's the time to tell Akane what I feel for her, to tell her how much I love her! I wont let that jerk Ranma take her away from me…" He strikes a dramatic pose. "AKANE, TODAY WILL BE THE DAY THAT…"

Suddenly, an old lady tosses out some water, which splashes him and changes him into a little pig. But in spite of that, he manages to get to the Tendo Dojo. But, when he arrives there, he sees Akane coming out of the house to throw away the garbage. She sees the little pig:

Akane's happy to see her pet piggy. "P-Chan, where were you? Come here."

P-Chan didn't need it to hear that twice, so he jumps into her arms and feels her breasts (Pervert!).

"Oh, P-Chan, you're just in time for special news…what, you say? You'll have to wait and see."

Then, she goes inside. Once inside, she heads for the living room. on her way she meets up with Ranma and Ran. P-Chan is furious at them, and he tries to jump toward them to attack them, he began to wriggle around a lot in Akane's arms.

Akane holds P-Chan. "P-Chan, stand still, what's got into you?"

Then, Ryoga manages to jump out of Akane's arms and dashes toward Ranma. Ranma moves away, but the pig just keeps attacking. Akane catches him. "P-Chan, what's the matter with you? Why are you attacking Ranma? He hasn't done anything to you!"

P-Chan squeals, "KUI KUUI KUUI KUI KUIIII!!" (Yes he has! Cause of him, I've seen HELL!! I'll kill him!)

Akane shouts, "P-CHAN, THAT'S ENOUGH…!!" Now serious, she says, "Listen, either you behave or you'll be sleeping outside! Is that understood P-Chan!?"

P-Chan gasps, "Kui?" (Akane?)

Ryoga is in total shock. Akane has never ever said those words to him as her favorite piggy, but, being as stubborn (or pig-headed, in this case) as he is, he continues to attack Ranma. Akane then takes P-Chan outside and closes the door. Then Ranma, Akane and Ran are in the Living Room to make an announcement to their parents:

Akane starts, "Dad, Mr. Saotome, Ranma and I have made a decision about our engagement…"

After hearing that their parents started to dance with joy together in the living room. Soun & Genma shout together, "Oh joy oh joy! Our children decided that they will get married! Now the schools will be joined!"

Ranma interrupts the early celebration. "Excuse me Mr. Tendo and Pop, but, Akane and I aren't gonna get married."

This stops their dancing for joy and the fathers look at them with shocked faces. Poor Soun looks like he's about to cry. "Wha…what do you mean you're not getting married?"

"You mean you don't love each other anymore?" Genma asks worriedly.

Ranma tells his father, "No, it's not that."

"Then what?" Soun asks, trying to keep his composure and bust out in a flood of tears.

Akane explains, "Ranma and I… we do love each very much, but decided that marriage is just too early for us."

Ranma adds, "Yeah. I mean, we're still kinda young for something that big. We still have our whole lives up ahead, so why rush it?"

Genma, fearing the worst, asks, "So that means that…you…"

Akane shakes her head, "No no Mr. Saotome, Ranma will still be my fiancée. Our love for each other will not change a bit, right Ranma?"

Ranma hugs Akane from behind. "That's right!" he proudly says.

Soun and Genma think about it for a while, then, they came up with a decision:

Soun's the first to speak. "Well Akane, Ranma, Genma and I have talked about it and, even though we are a little sad about you two not getting married, we are still happy that you two will still be fiancées, isn't that right Saotome?"

Genma nods, "Quite so Tendo. At least the future of the Schools is secure now. So, we are happy."

"Hey Saotome, how's about if we celebrate this moment with some good sake?"

Genma laughs, "I couldn't agree more Tendo! Ha hah haaaaa!"

MEANWHILE…

Back at the Secret Fortress of the Red Cat Gang, Erick was chatting with the leader of Shadowloo, M. Bison during dinner. Of course, they were eating in a luxurious dining room; it had 17th century chandeliers, tables, wallpaper, chairs, with were many candles on the table. Erick is sitting in the middle of the table, with his girlfriend Delia seated beside him. They were eating –"Chicken le craust"- with mushrooms and cream and for drinking they had imported VERY expensive red wine.

Holding a glass of wine in one hand, Erick says, "I hope that dinner was to your liking Mr. Bison."

Bison nods, "It was very delicious - my complements to the chef."

"Yeah, that chicken tasted awesome!" Balrog says

"Hoo hoo, a meal fitting for nobility such as I." Vega comments.

"Dinner was good, thank you." Sagat politely says.

"Well, I'm glad that you enjoyed it…," Erick says. Then, as he's rising from his seat, "…now, if you may, let's talk about business now shall we?"

And they rise from their seats and head for the Dark Chamber. Erick turns to some Cat Soldiers. "Okay boys, would you clean this place up?"

"Um…okay." RED CAT Soldier 001 says.

"Whatever you command Lord Erick," replies RED CAT Soldier 002.

Once they arrive at the chambers where the Cat Ghost King's statue is located, they begin to discuss their proposal. Erick states, "As you may already know Bison, we of the Red Cat Gang are asking you for your partnership…a team-up as you may call it."

M. Bison's skeptical at this point. "I don't know. I still don't know much about this. Why do you need my cooperation?"

Erick cheerfully explains, "You're just the right man for it…I mean, Shadowloo has a powerful army at its disposal; you have almost all the necessary equipment to accomplish our ultimate goal."

Bison snickers, "Finding the Phoenix Stone I presume?"

"Yes…I see that Delia told you about it, didn't she?"

"Yes, but only a little…just what is this Phoenix Stone?"

"The Phoenix Stone is a powerful magic stone that is said to have come from the –"Legendary Phoenix Bird"- millions of years ago…legend says that the stone has enough power to destroy an entire world…or conquer it in a flash!."

Power…that word rings true to M. Bison. He loves that word:

Erick continues, "And…it's power is so destructive that it makes an nuclear blast looks like a little firecracker."

Sagat gasps, "Say what?"

Balrog's wide eyed. "No way, you're bluffing!"

Erick points to himself. "Do I LOOK like I'm bluffing…?"

Even Bison is shocked. He gasps, "But, how can a stone have so much power?"

Erick replies, "It's a real mystery…that's why we need your help, to find the stone."

Bison thinks about it for a couple of minutes. He's thinking about the possibilities of obtaining that stone: Hmm, If I team up with these jokers, I'll be able to find this Phoenix Stone and claim it for myself…then I'll combine its power with my Psycho Power, giving me the powers of a God!"

Then he addresses Erick. "Very well, I accept. Shadowloo will help you."

Erick smiles. "Good, M. Bison. You have made a wise decision. We are grateful to you."

The Cat Statue purrs contentedly. "Yes meow, you've done well…meow."

M. Bison sweatdrops. "So sorry, but I'm still not used to talking to a talking cat statue."

"Understood." The Cat Statue says.

Furthermore, Erick adds, "If you help us with our enemies M. Bison, we'll help you with yours…whaddya say?"

Bison likes that last part…they would help him destroy his enemies…like Ryu, that damn Guile and that cop Chun-Li. "Yes, you'll help me deal with some of my problems…and I'll help you with yours."

Erick thanks Bison, "Thank you…as an old saying goes…-"You scratch our back…we'll scratch your back"-

"Just out of curiosity, who's your enemy that you want dead?"

"Well…we have a list, but the one THESE guys (he points at Dr. Wily, Bass, and the Cat Statue) really hate - is a boy named Ranma Saotome."

Bison's intrigued. "Ranma Saotome…did you say Ranma Saotome?"

"Well yes…why, you know him?"

"Not quite…but, I've heard rumors about a boy who is a skilled and powerful warrior in the Martial Arts as Ryu, or maybe more."

Erick raises an eyebrow at this. "You don't say?"

Bison continues, "Yes, at first I though they were only rumors. But, when I read and saw some news by others warriors about him, about a boy who defeated a powerful warrior named Saffron, who called himself the Phoenix God, in China, it caught my attention."

"Really?"

"But tell me, why destroy such a powerful warrior…when you can have him as a servant!"

"What do you mean, M. Bison Meow?" the Cat Statue asks.

M. Bison grins. "What I mean is, instead of killing him…why not capture him and turn him into one of us…a warrior for Shadowloo!"

The Cat Statue's surprised – hard to tell, y'know, being that he's a statue! It had never occurred to him to go THAT route instead of just scratching Ranma out of existence. Oh sure, his followers, the RED CATS, had tried to turn the boy to their cause before, but they failed miserably. Still the statue likes Bison's idea. "You know…I never thought of that…meow…THAT IS A GREAT IDEA!" it exclaims.

Dr. Wily can't believe this. "Are you out of your minds!? He's the reason my plans failed last year! I hate him just as much as I hate Megaman!"

"An interesting suggestion, M. Bison; we'll keep it in mind. But in the meantime, our goal is to obtain the Phoenix Stone." Erick says, concluding the first official meeting between Shadowloo and the RED CAT GANG.

M. Bison shakes hands with Erick. "Okay…we'll keep in touch."

From there, M. Bison and his 'friends' board his Air Ship and return to Shadowloo's secret base.

BACK IN THE NERIMA WARD OF TOKYO:

Ryoga has managed to find some hot water and turns back into a human. Now, he decides to declare his love for Akane. Akane, today, today I'll confess my love to you… Ryoga thinks and begins to look for Akane. After 3 hours of searching, Ryoga found Akane at the Park. She was coming from a friend's house. Akane saw him:

"Hey Ryoga, what's new"?

Nervous, Ryoga stutters, "Hel…hello Akane…" He thinks: Okay Ryoga, time to tell Akane your love… Out loud, he says, "Akane…I have something to say."

"What is it Ryoga?"

"Akane…I…well…I want to tell you…that…that…"

"Come on Ryoga…spit it out!"

"Akane…I want to say that…" Ryoga's voice shrinks to a soft whisper when he finally says, "I love you."

Akane blinks, "What did you say Ryoga?

"That I love you Akane. I've loved you ever since I first saw you. And I want to ask you if… if you would do me the extreme honor of being my girlfriend."

Akane was totally surprised at Ryoga's declaration. "Ryoga I…I'm speechless! I'm very flattered. I don't know what to say!"

Ryoga pleads, "Say yes Akane, say you'll be my girlfriend."

"Ryoga, I… the thing is that…I love Ranma and…"

"What! NO, how can you say that? Ranma doesn't deserve you Akane! Besides, you hate him!"

"That's not true Ryoga. Well… I'll admit that I thought of that before, but, I was wrong about him - he really is a nice person."

"NO! HE'S A JERK! LISTEN AKANE, RANMA DOESN'T LOVE YOU! I HOWEVER, I LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART, AND I'LL GIVE MY LIFE TO YOU IF NEEDED!"

"Look Ryoga, I do love you…but only as a friend, nothing more…"

Ryoga's beginning to cry. "No, Akane…"

Akane sadly tells him, "I'm so sorry Ryoga, but, it's for the best. I don't want to give you any false hopes. My heart belongs to Ranma, but…" She smiles. "We can still be friends! What do you say Ryoga?"

Ryoga was in total shock after hearing this from Akane. His dreams have shattered in front of him, he's boiling mad on the inside, and cursing Ranma Saotome:

Akane's worried when Ryoga doesn't say anything. "Ryoga, are you alright?"

Ryoga turns around. "Akane…I…"

Then Ryoga runs away from that place. He was mad beyond belief, with tears flowing down his face. Driven mad with grief, his heart of glass smashed into thousand of pieces, now he has nothing left but to seek revenge against his hated rival once and for all!

Ryoga angrily thinks: DAMN YOU RANMA! I WONT FORGIVE YOU FOR THIS…TODAY IS THE DAY YOU'LL DIE!

Akane's left alone in the park, confused at Ryoga's reaction. "Ryoga! What…what happened?"

Ranma and Ran were coming from the ice cream shop. Ran turns to Ranma and says, "That sure was good ice cream, wasn't it Ranma?"

Ranma agrees. "Yep, especially the Chocolate Mocha."

"Now, where to next?"

"We gotta pick up Akane, then, I was thinking about a movie tonight…sounds good?"

Ran nods. "Sounds great!"

"RANMAAA!" a boy's voice screams. Ranma and Ran turn around see Ryoga in front of them:

Ran points in Ryoga's direction. "Hey Ranma look, it's the eternally-lost boy."

Ranma sighs. "I see…what do you want NOW Ryoga?"

Angry, Ryoga screams, "RANMA, YOU'VE MADE MY LIFE A LIVING HELL! YOU TOOK AWAY MY HAPPINESS, AND MY LOVE! FOR THAT YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!"

"Ryoga, just what the heck are you talking about? What bug bit you?

Ryoga snarls, "SHUT UP…! RANMA, TODAY IS THE DAY THAT I'LL FINISH YOU OFF ONCE AND FOR ALL! TODAY, I'LL SEND YOU TO HELL!!"

"Look Ryoga, I don't know what's gotten into you, but I don't have time for this. Besides, how many times you have told me the same thing of –"Kill me"- and you always fail!…come on Ran."

"Sure, Ranma," Ran says keeping an eye on Ryoga.

Ryoga screams, "YOU'RE NOT GONNA RUN AWAY FROM ME THIS TIME RANMA…PREPARE TO DIE!"

Then Ryoga launches himself against Ranma. Ranma senses him coming and turns around to block his attack:

Ranma's serious. "Hey Ryoga, cut that out! I don't want to fight!"

"SHUT UP! I'LL KILL YOU FOR TAKING AKANE AWAY FROM MEEE!"

Ranma blinks. "Taking Akane from you! What do you mean?"

"AKANE REJECTED ME! AKANE SAYS THAT SHE LOVES YOU MORE THAN ME!"

"So what!"

"SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN MINE, NOT YOURS! YOU DON'T DESERVE TO HAVE HER YOU JERK!"

"Ryoga, you're talking as if Akane was an object to be owned."

Ran adds, "That's right Ryoga, Akane always loved Ranma…it's just that she was afraid to admit it."

Ryoga screams angrily, "LIES! NOBODY COULD EVER LOVE A JERK LIKE RANMA! HE'S A WORTHLESS JERK, DISHONORABLE, A COWARD! HE MAKES EVERYONE'S LIVES A LIVING HELL!"

"Listen Ryoga, I'm getting tired of your stubbornness! Ran, let's go."

Ran nods. "Sure Ranma."

Ranma and Ran proceed to leave, when:

"DON'T RUN AWAY YOU COWARD AND FACE MEEE…SHI SHI HOUKODAAAAAAN!"

Ryoga then releases his –"Lion Roar Shot"- toward Ranma. Ranma feels it and jumps away, then he face him:

Ranma's annoyed. "Hey Ryoga, watch where you're launching those attacks! You could hurt somebody!"

"SHUT UP AND DIEEE!"

Ryoga then attacks Ranma with a series of punches and kicks. But, unlike their ordinary fights, Ryoga was really determined to kill Ranma.

Ranma thinks: Damn, Ryoga wasn't kidding when he said he wanted to kill me, but, I can't let him do that!

Ran was seeing this fight; She didn't like it a bit. She pleads, "Hey Ryoga, please stop this! You don't want to do this! Ranma hasn't done anything to you!"

"Nothing…? NOTHING…!? THAT MISERABLE BASTARD STOLE AKANE FROM MEEE! HE GOT ME CURSED! HE'S MADE MY LIFE A LIVING HELL…HE WILL DIEE!"

"Ryoga, you don't have that right to take away a life! If you're an honorable man, you know this is wrong!"

"WHY SHOULD I LISTEN TO A STUPID CLONE OF THAT JERK… "

Ranma sees that Ryoga's even more depressed then before. Ryoga's covered in a huge green flame; his eyes were glowing green, meaning that he's reached the absolute bottom limits of his depression. He was dangerous. The fight lasts for about 30 minutes:

Ranma tries to reason with the enraged and equally depressed Eternal Lost Boy. "Ryoga, stop this fight! This isn't gonna solve anything!"

Ryoga finally says, "RANMA…I SAID THAT TODAY YOU'LL DIE…AND I MEAN IT…SHI SHI HOUKODAN!-SHI SHI HOUKODAN!-SHI SHI HOUKODAAAAAAAAAAAN!!"

Ryoga lets rip with three –"Lion Roar Shots", the blasts hurtling toward Ranma. Ranma sees the incoming attacks and smirks, thinking: Three attacks, no problem! …and he was about to jump away, when he hears Ran yelling at him. When he sees her, Ran has a worried look on her face:

Ran's waving her hands frantically, yelling, "Ranma…behind you, quickly!"

Ranma turns around and what he sees makes him gasp in horror. Behind him, not so far away, there's a group of kindergartners with their young teacher. They were scared and would not be able to move in time. Ranma's worried. Oh no, if those kids get hit by Ryoga's attack they'll be killed! I must stop those attacks and fast!

And he dashes toward the children like a bullet, he has to make it before those ki-balls hit them! Ran's worried, everything's seen in slow motion. Then the three depression-fueled blasts make impact and explode. Ran's waiting to seewhat would happen.

When the smoke clears, Ran sees that the children were okay. She breathe a sigh of relief, and a silent prayer of thanks.

When the children and their teacher open their eyes they see a person in front of them - it was Ranma. He's just acted as a human shield for them and protects them from the blast. But, he's severely damaged from the impact. His clothes are almost gone, he's got small burns all over his back, and with small bloodly cuts covering his body.

Weakly, Ranma asks, "Hey… are…are you guys okay?"

Happy, greatful even, the teacher says, "Yes…yes we are, thank you sir, thank you!"

"Now…", Ranma coughs, "Get them away from here."

The teacher nods. "You got it…come along children."

She takes the young children. The kids thank Ranma for his actions. "Thank you mister." A little boy says.

"Yes, thank you kind sir," says a little girl.

Ranma smiles weakly, "No problem kids."

Then he turns around and glares at Ryoga. "Ryoga, you JACKASS!"

"WHAT DID YOU CALL MEE!?" Ryoga howls, furious that Ranma's not dead yet.

"A jackass…! Do you know what you were about to do Ryoga?"

"YES! ABOUT TO KILL YOU IF YOU DIDN'T MOVE YOU COWARD!"

"No…cough cough…Ryoga, you were about to kill some innocent kids!"

"DON'T PLAY DUMB WITH ME RANMA! YOU'RE JUST MAKING THAT UP!"

Ran interferes, shouting, "You moron! Didn't you see those children…!? My God, what kind of a man are you?"

"Look Ryoga, I can forgive you for trying to kill me, but…but I cannot forgive you for trying to kill some poor kids…THAT, Ryoga, was the lowest, most cowardly thing you have ever done."

Ryoga explodes, "SHUT UP YOU JERK!"

The children hear that and decided to tell Ryoga the truth about himself."

One boy angrily yells, "Hey, why don't you leave him alone you bully!"

Ryoga snaps, "WHAT DID YOU SAY?"

Another little girl speaks up. "A bully! He saved us from your attack!"

Another boy says to Ryoga, "You're a monster! an evil monster!"

"And a bully!" this one, from another girl.

Ryoga was hearing the shouts of the children calling him a bully and a monster. He can't believe this! He's thinking, panicking: NO, THEY'RE WRONG, I'M NOT A MONSTER! RANMA IS!"-…then he addresses the children. "SHUT UP! SHUT UP ALL OF YOU! I'M NOT A MONSTER! THAT JERK RANMA IS!"

Needless to say, the children all boo him and call him, "BULLY! BULLY! BULLY!"

"SHUT UP, DON'T CALL ME THAT…GRYAAAAA… SHI SHI HOUKODAAAAAAN!!"

"NO, RYOGA! DON'T DO IT!" Ran cries.

Being blinded by rage, Ryoga doesn't know what he's doing. He releases the Perfect –"Lion Roar Shot"- at the children. Ranma, even though he was weakened by Ryoga earlier assault, manages to once again act as a human shield for the kids and takes the blast. However, after this, Ranma collapses to the ground. Ran rushes toward the fallen Ranma, she takes his hand to feel his pulse:

Desperate, Ran says, "Ranma, are you alright? Come on, Ranma! Speak to me!"

The children were also worried for their 'hero':

Worried, one girl asks, "Is he okay?"

Ran grimly says, "Yeah, but he needs to go to the hospital."

Then Ran addresses Ryoga; now she's pissed. "WHY YOU…YOU…'BULLY'…! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO RANMA, AND THOSE CHILDREN…!? HAVE YOU NO HONOR?"

Ryoga fires back, "SHUT UP…! NOW MOVE SO THAT I CAN FINISH THAT JERK RANMA ONCE AND FOR ALL!"

"LIKE HELL YOU WILL! RYOGA, I'VE NEVER HATED ANYBODY, BUT NOW, YOU'RE THE FIRST PERSON…! I WON'T LET YOU HURT HIM YOU JACKASS!!"

Ryoga cracks his knuckles, ready for blood. "THEN I'LL KILL YOU TOO!…"

Ran whispers, "This one's for you Ranma…!"

Then Ran begins to concentrate, then she's covered by furious lively orange-red flames around her:

Unleashing her strongest attack, she yells, "HEAT TRIGGER DX…KYAAAAA!!"

Ran then releases a big, red, blast of flame at Ryoga. Once the ball hits Ryoga, he goes flying away, burning up like a fireball cursing Ran and Ranma all the way. Next Ran takes Ranma to the nearest hospital.

Back at the Secret Base of the Red Cat Gang, Erick saw the fight between Ranma and Ryoga:

He remarks, "Fascinating, very fascinating indeed…wouldn't you agree De-Chan?"

Delia nods, "Yes, quite a sight."

"It appears that the traitor Ran is getting more and more powerful each day meow…," the Cat Statue notices.

Bass snorts, "Big deal. I can take care of her no problem, as well as Dog Boy…!"

Erick turns to Bass and tells him, "Look Bass, I don't want to sound rude, but you wouldn't hurt Ranma even if he were blind and handicapped."

"WHAT, ARE YOU TRYING TO TELL ME THAT MISERABLE HUMAN CAN BEAT ME?" Bass yells.

"Yes." Delia simply says.

"WHY YOUU!" Bass has just about had it with this girl's stuck-up, self-righteousness and putting down his abilities. He decides to take out his frustration on Delia, when Erick, with just a wave of his finger, stops Bass in his movement and applies an immense amount of invisible force on him. Poor Bass feels like he's being crushed by a scrap compactor; he's in intense pain:

Bass screams in agony, "GYRA…IAAAAAA", IT HURTS! MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOOOP!!"

Erick givee him a death glare and firmly says, "Now, Listen Bass and listen good, cause I'm only gonna say this once…if you EVER raise your voice and hand against Delia or me…you'll going to know and see the true hell of pain…pain so intense that death would be your only salvation! Is that understood Bass?"

"YES!…YESS!! IAAAAA…!!"

"Now…apologize to Delia!"

"OKAY! OKAY…!" Bass cries to Delia, "I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!"

"Good!" Then Erick releases Bass from his grasp. Calmly he continues, "Well, as I was saying…Ran is getting stronger, and, by doing that, she'll start to remember. We can't allow that."

Having survived nearly being crushed into a pile of scrap metal, Bass risks asking, "Why?"

Erick replies, "Because, if she starts to remember, she'll remember many things…among them…her brother."

Dr. Wily assures Erick, "Not to worry, the brainwash we gave R will prevent THAT from happening, hee hee hee!"

Erick is serious, so he looks the mad scientist right in the eye. "Can you guarantee that, Doctor?"

Sweating in fear from Erick's gaze, Dr. Wily blurts, "Well…um…yea, I have the best machines to do that and…"

Erick interrupts, "That wasn't what I asked you Doctor."

Dr. Wily was in a pickle, when, saved by the bell, two RED CAT soldiers enter the room:

"Excuse me, but the warriors Slashman and Cutman have arrived and wish to see you," one soldier reports.

"Send them in." Erick commands.

And the soldiers leave. Then Slashman and Cutman enter the chamber. All gasp at seeing them. Slashman and Cutman are severely injured, beaten up, almost like scrap for the junkyard. They could barely stand up:

Bass blinks, "What the heck happened to you guys?"

Dr. Wily notices the state his robots are in. "Look at you guys. You look if you were in the middle of a big blast!"

The Cat Statue sneers, "I presume that you fools failed in your mission."

Slashman, worried, tries to avert the Cat Ghost King's wrath. "Wait, it's not like that! We almost finished them…"

"Almost counts as nothing!" the Cat Statue hisses angrily. "You didn't destroy Ranma Saotome and Lady Ran, and therefore you failed!"

Cutman whispers to Slashman, "Guess we're screwed now."

Erick cheerfully says, "Not to worry guys. Failing in this mission was your mission."

Slashman blinks, "Huh!?"

"You see, we only sent you there to fight them so that we can see their powers; once we saw them, well, you know the rest."

Shocked by what he's just heard, Cutman can only say, "You mean, you knew that we were gonna fail and you sent us anyway?"

"Yep…" Erick's expression darkens, and he glars at them evilily. "Why? Is there a problem?"

Slashman & Cutman both wave frantically. "No, NO! No problem at all!"

"Good, but tell me guys…Ranma didn't do that much damage to you, so how come you look like this?"

Slashman says, "Oh that. You see, after that damn Ranma sent us flying, we landed inside a house, and we were attacked by a bunch of crazy girls!"

"Crazy girls?" Dr. Wily asks, surprised.

Cutman explains, "Yeah, there was this one girl with a crazy cyan hairdo who could generate energy and make a sword and throw energy balls, another one was a purple short-haired girl, who had some weird floating logs beside her, and they threw electric balls…"

Slashman follows up, "…then, there was one blonde girl and a long haired woman with some blasters, with a logo that said –"Galaxy Police"- or something…"

Cutman finishes, "They attacked us, cause they thought we were perverts…we barely got out of that place in one piece!"

Erick considers what they've reported to him. Then, he says, "I see…well, go and rest, you've earned it!"

"THANK YOU!" Slashman & Cutman sigh happily. Then, both of them collapse on the floor. Then some of Dr. Wily's robots pick them up and take them away for repairs. After that:

"What do you think happened to those two?" Dr. Wily wonders aloud to the rest of the group.

Delia turns to her beloved master. "Hmmm. Erick-san, those figures they describe, they're familiar…"

Erick chuckles, "Of course De-Chan, those morons must have met up with that space pirate Ryoko, and also that Juraian Princess Ayeka."

Delia nods, "I see, so those other two must have been those cadets of the –"Galaxy Police"- Kiyone and that blonde air-head Mihoshi…am I right?"

"Right you are Delia, right you are."

Dr. Wily wanted to know, "Who are they? What are you're talking about?"

Erick stops Wily from asking any further questions. "That's not important right now. The important thing is that we must prevent any failures, because failure is an option none of you guys will accept."

The Cat Statue agrees with Erick. "Meow…that's right, I don't want any failures in our mission. Erick, I hope that everything goes according to plan."

Erick smiles. "But of course Cat Ghost King, you just have to be patient."

Dr. Wily fumes impatiently, "I still don't like to wait! I mean, we could send my robots to finish the job."

"That's right!" Bass says, coming to Wily's defense.

Erick wags his finger in a no-no gesture. "Doctor, Doctor, Doctor…You'll send them all on a wild goose chase, blind…as an old saying goes…-"Slow and Steady wins the race"-."

"What does that mean?" Dr. Wily asks. Oh c'mon now, Wily! For somebody who's SUPPOSED to be an evil genius, you're kinda slow to catch on!

"In order to know that answer Dr. Wily, read the story of the –"Tortoise and the Hare"-, and you'll find out why…"

The next day, Ranma wakes up and sees himself in a hospital room:

Ranma thinks: Man, where am I?… He scans the area. Hey, why am I in a hospital bed? …Oh yeah, I forgot, stupid Ryoga. I don't know what got into him, but the next time I see him, I'll bake his butt!"

"Ranma! You're awake!" a girl's voice says.

When Ranma turns around, he sees Ran and Akane coming to his room, Akane rushes over and hugs Ranma:

Ranma talks to them like nothings wrong. "Hey Ran, Akane, how you doing?"

Akane sobs, "Oh Ranma, I was so worried! Are you okay? Do you need anything…?"

"Nah, Akane, that's okay. You don't have to worry about me, you know I heal fast, but thanks anyway."

Ran asks, "So Ranma, how are you doing?"

Ranma replies, "Me? I'm fine, just a little tired that's all."

Akane tells him, "Ran told me about what Ryoga did…I still don't know what could have happened to him, I mean, Ryoga's never done that before."

"Well, when (or IF) we see him again, you can ask him."

Ran's still kinda upset about what happened. "That's right, I'm still mad at that jerk! I mean, attacking you would be okay, 'cause you can defend yourself, but to attack innocent children, that's unforgivable!"

Then the door opens and some children step in. It was the kids who Ranma saved; they were carrying some roses, cards, and letters. Ranma greets them. "Hey you guys, how's it going?"

"We're fine," says one little boy.

"Yes, we're fine," a little girl says.

"That's good to hear…but tell me, why are you here?"

Their teacher walks in. "The children came here to thank you for helping, no, saving them from that mean boy yesterday."

Ranma's surprised. "Really?"

"Yes, thank you for saving us, mister," another little boy says.

Happy, another little girl squeals, "Yeah, you are our hero."

Ranma blushes. "Um….Oh! It was nothing, really…eh heh!"

Akane and Ran giggle at Ranma being so humble, then the children give Ranma the roses and cards:

"Here, these are for you." A third little girl says as she hands Ranma the roses.

Ranma's genuinely touched by all this. "Geez guys, thanks. They're beautiful, and smell nice too."

And a third little boy says, "We made this card for you in our school. Hope you like it, mister!"

Ranma takes the card and looks at it. On it was a picture of him, drawn up like a superhero by the children. He liked it a lot. "It's very awesome kids, I love it…thanks a lot, I mean it."

The kindergarten teacher bows. "The children's are very grateful to you Ranma-san; somehow, you became their hero."

Ranma blushes a deeper shade. "Oh c'mon, I'm no hero; I only did what was right."

"Well, you are a hero in our book!" little girl no. 2 says.

"Thanks," Ranma bows ihis head in reply.

Teacher gathers her young charges. "Well children, say goodbye to Ranma. We have to leave."

"Okay…bye Ranma!" says little girl no. 3

Little boy 2 says, "Yeah, take care…"

Little girl 2 pleads, "Promise us that you'll come to our school, would you Ranma?"

"Sure…I guess," is all Ranma can say.

"YEAAAAA!" all the kids cheer.

Then they leave, waving at Ranma, after that:

Ran giggles, "Well Ranma, it seems that you gained a little fan club."

Akane teases her fiancée, "So, how's it feel…Mr. Hero?"

Ranma shrugs innocently, "Like I said before guys, I'm no superhero, just Ranma."

Akane hugs Ranma, "But, you are a hero in my book."

Ranma blushes. "Akane…"

Then, the girls stay with Ranma at the hospital.

At Shadowloo HQ, the evil Leader M. Bison was watching the tapes he'd obtained on Ranma Saotome. He saw almost all his battles that he fought. He saw the enemies that Ranma fought…from Prince Kirin, Touma, Herb…he even obtained the video of him battling Saffron…at the end, he was very impressed:

M. Bison:" This Ranma is indeed a strong and powerful warrior, he has tremendous powers for someone so young. Oh yes, if I could get him to join Shadowloo, I could obtain such a powerful soldier in my army"

Then, Vega and Balrog enter the chamber:

"Excuse sir, but why do you watch those images of a brat?" Vega asks.

M. Bison harshly replies, "Cause that 'brat' that you refer to is a powerful and skilled warrior, even more than you Vega."

Vega's offended. "SAY WHAT!? ARE YOU JOKING ME? THERE'S NO WAY A LITTLE BABY COULD EVER BE AS GOOD AS ME!"

"On the contrary Vega, that Ranma may be a kid, but he's indeed a worthy warrior for Shadowloo."

Balrog speaks up. "But, how can that be sir…?"

M. Bison explains, "Size does not matter. That Ranma kid has many special abilities, and, he has mastered the art of Ki."

Vega blinks, "Ki?"

"It is the inner energy that all living people have. But, to master it is very hard; not many can obtain it…only a few have done it…Myself, Rose, and that cursed Ryu and Ken."

Balrog seems impressed – sorta. "Really? Wow, that's intense!"

Bison smiles wickedly. "Now imagine if I could get Ranma to get into the Psycho Power…he could even be my successor. I must have him!"

Vega mutters, "I don't believe this!…He didn't think that of me!"

Overhearing Vega's complaint, Bison glares at his henchman. "That's because, unlike you Vega, Ranma has fought many, many strong enemies all his young life, while you only fought weak opponents, and bulls, and that just it. You can't even summon your Ki."

"Grrrrr…!!"

"But, if you'd like to prove me wrong Vega…go to Nerima and capture Ranma. If you can do that, I'll even name you my second in command…"

Vega's interested. "Really?"

"Yes. You think you can do it, Vega? Can you defeat this 'kid'?"

Vega scoffs, "Ha, it will be a piece of cake for me! I mean, he's only a child!"

"Well then, go!"

And Vega went to carry out his mission. Once he was gone:

"You think he will do it, Sir?" Balrog asks.

M. Bison laughs, "Ha ha haaaa! Of course not. I only sent him to make a fool out of him. He will learn the price for talking too much, and to never underestimate his opponent."

Balrog snickers, "Ha, guess you got a point!"

"Now, let's get in contact with our new 'partners', …the Red Cat Gang."

"You got it, sir."

NERIMA WARD OF TOKYO – TENDO DOJO, RAN'S ROOM:

-(Dream-Sequence)-

Ran is standing on a cliff… suddenly, the sky turns red, and a huge fire-bird appears before Ran:

Ran blinks at the magnificent creature. "Who…who are you? What are you"

The Fire-bird speaks telepathically. Its beak doesn't even move, and yet Ran can hear its voice so clearly: (Listen Ran, you must be prepared for the outcome…for the approaching evil.)

"What are you talking about?"

(There is an evil being who wants to take over the world. You must stop him.)

"But, how will I do that?"

(Listen carefully Ran…When Fire and Lightning become one, evil will fall.)

Ran blinks. "When Fire and Lightning become one? What does that mean?"

(You'll know it, when the time is right.)

-(End of Dream)-

Then Ran wakes up, and thinks about it: What a weird dream…but, what could it mean?

The next morning Ranma was coming from school. He came alone 'cause Ran and Akane went to the Shopping Mall. And, as always, an old lady splashes him with some water she was tossing to the street, and he's (now she's) mad about that.. "Damn old lady, how does she do it?", she curses. Unaware to her, on a rooftop near him, Vega was standing there, watching his prey:

Vega thinks: Hmmm…So that's him…but, I thought Bison said that Ranma Saotome was a boy, but, she has hair that matches the description. She even has a pig-tail, so she must be Ranma! Now, let's see if she is as good as Bison says…

Then, he waits for the right moment and follows Ranma. Ranma-chan's reaching the Tendo compound when suddenly her danger senses went wild, and without turning around she jumps up and a figure dashes by her. When Ranma-chan lands she sees a person in front of her…it was a blonde man with a long pig-tail like his, a long tattoo of a snake on his chest, and had on his hand a claw-like weapon, with a mask that covers his face:

Ranma-chan's annoyed. "Hey, what's the big idea?"

Vega compliments his opponent. "So, you have excellent reflexes for a little girl!"

"Thanks, but who are you?"

"My name is Vega, and I charmed to meet you girly."

"I don't care. Why are you here? What do you want from me?"

"That's easy. I came here to take you with me to Shadowloo."

"Listen here buster, I don't go out with anybody, especially with blonde air heads wearing masks, is that understood?"

Vega laughs, "Hoo hoo hoo, but I wasn't asking if you 'wanted' to come along, cause you WILL come."

"Is that a fact…sorry to disappoint you buster, but the answer's no."

"Then you leave me no choice but to take you by force, so get ready pretty!"

Ranma-chan laughs, "Ha, please, I wouldn't worry about myself that much!"

Then, Vega launches himself toward Ranma with his claw, ready to attack. Ranma just waits and when he was close she evade all his attacks, even his Rolling Barcelona attack:

Vega's impressed with this girl's skill. "Impressive. I'm truly impressed, no one has ever evaded my attacks."

Ranma-chan snorts, "Oh please, I have seen girls move faster then that!"

Now Vega's mad. "WHAT! You have a big mouth! Now I will show you my special skills, be prepared!"

"Bring it on!"

Vega then swings his claw at Ranma many times, faster then before, but Ranma-chan with her superior skills dodges them all. Vega then jumps on a fence and drops toward Ranma with his claws. Ranma-chan just moves away, Vega's getting irritated by this red-haired girl, she's faster then him:

Vega pants, "This girl moves like the wind, but I won't be defeated, I'll show her!"

Ranma-chan taunts, "Come on buster, don't tell me you're tired! I haven't even broken a sweat here!"

"Laugh all you want girly, it will be more satisfying when I beat you."

"That is 'if' you beat me. Come on, give up already!"

"NEVER!"

Then once again Vega throws many claws toward Ranma. Then, in a swift motion, Ranma punches Vega with a hard punch in his masked face. Vega goes flying toward the ground, and lands hard. The punch was so strong that Vega's mask breaks apart. Vega then takes out a mirror and sees himself in it. What he sees makes him gasp in horror. There was a nasty scar of blood on his left cheek:

Gasping, Vega mutters, "No, It can't be, my beautiful face…" Outrarged, he turns toward Ranma. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY BEAUTIFUL FACE YOU BASTARD…I'LL KILL YOU,! NOBODY TOUCHES MY WORTHY FACE AND LIVES!"

Ranma-chan thinks this pretty boy's overacting here. "Geez, you sound worse than Kuno!"

Vega yells, "INSOLENT WORM! I'LL SKIN YOU ALIVE! I'LL MAKE YOU BLEED LIKE A PIG! PREPARE TO DIE…KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Vega, filled with rage launches himself against Ranma. Ranma-chan thinks: Man, I didn't knaw that Ryoga's annoying catchphrase could be so popular…

Then, in one of those attacks, Vega manage to hit Ranma in his/her chest…when Ranma looks at his chest he gasps, his clothes from his chest were shredded apart:

Ranma-chan, looking down, gasps, "Oh no, my shirt…" She glares at Vega with a look that could kill, "LOOK WHAT YOU DID YOU JERK! THIS WAS MY FAVORITE SHIRT, NOW YOU'VE MADE ME REALLY MAD! I'M GONNA KICK YOUR SORRY BUTT!"

Vega taunts, laughing, "Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo…. And how are you gonna do that little girl?"

"LIKE THIS!"

Ranma, using one of the Forbidden Techniques of Saotome-ryuu Yamesenken (Saotome Style Mountain of a Thousand Fists), yells…-"KIJIN-RAISHUU DAN"-… and she swings her arms and releases a Vacuum Blade of Air toward Vega. Vega blocks the attack, but, after that his claw its cut into pieces, and his chest is cut a little, blood is pouring out:

Vega's eyes go wide in shock. "No! My…my claw, you've destroyed my claw…but, how did you do it?"

"Doesn't matter…now leave or the next thing I'll re-arrange is that face of yours!"

"NEVER! VEGA DOESN'T LOSE TO ANYONE, ESPECIALLY NOT TO A LITTLE GIRL!!"

"Have it your way then," Ranma-chan says, ready to finish this fight.

This time, Ranma's striking Vega with some ferocious punches and kicks. Vega didn't stand a chance against Ranma's superior attacks; Ranma gave Vega a punch in his chest, a kick in his ribs, one on his legs, another punch in his chest. In the end, Vega was almost all bruised up, but he wouldn't give up:

"Had enough….Blondie?" Ranma-chan wants to know.

Coughing blood, Vega says, "Ugn…never, I will win…CAUSE I WON'T LOOSE TO A GIIIIIIIIIIRL!"

"Okay then…" Ranma-chan start to charge her ki

Vega saw that the redhead was emitting strong amount of energy within her. He sees that she's covered in a red light; consequently, he's gotten scared at the sight:

Vega shakes. "What…what's happening, what's she doing, what's that?"

Ranma-chan declares, "This is my power, now you'll feel it…! MOUKO TAKABISHAAAAAA!!"

Ranma then releases her Pride of the Fierce Tiger projectile against Vega. Vega sees that Golden Ball coming toward him, but he couldn't do anything to stop it. Upon contact, Vega goes flying away until he disappears:

Triumphant, Ranma-chan says, "Hmph, that will teach him not to mess with me!"

Ranma-chan heads back to the Dojo. She didn't know that her fight was being watched by a hidden camera.

In the fortress of the RED CAT GANG…Erick with his loved one Delia watches the fight between Ranma and Vega…

Erick chuckles, "How was the fight for you De-chan?"

"It was entertaining, very funny," Delia lightly giggles.

"It was…that Vega person has a lot of vanity in him, but unfortunately, he lacks skill, and brains."

"True, he thinks of himself as a supreme example of beauty, God's gift to women."

"Hahahahaaa…oh how sad of him, caring only for beauty, when beauty's only temporal, and it fades away in the stream of time."

"He, and those of his kind I've met before, will end up alone, with a lot of sorrow and hate. Truly, a lost soul."

Erick raises an eyebrow in surprise. "I see that you know a lot about these things, eh Delia?"

Delia giggles, "It's what I do a lot Erick, or have you forgotten that that's my job?"

Erick blushes, "How dumb of me… Well, let's check on how those people's plans are doing."

"Yes, let's shall."

Meanwhile…Vega crashed into a house, and into some hot springs…when he woke up, he looks around and sees himself in a hot spring:

Vega, aching from his wounds, rubs his head. "Ouch! Damn that red haired girl! I never knew she could be so strong! Next time I see her I'll get her for sure!…" He looks around. "Hey, where am I?…looks like I'm inside some hot springs…how fortunate for me. Now I'll be able to relax and head back to headquarters. Hope that M. Bison doesn't find out or else I'll be the laughing stock in all Shadowloo…!"

Vega then proceeds to remove his remaining clothes and relax in the hot water. "Aaaaaa, this is the life, so relaxing, good for my beautiful body…"-…Vega thinks aloud while soaking in the warm water. He then saw something on the wall, like a sign…-"Hmm what's that…?" He looks closer. "…hmmm Hinata…Residence…Hinata Residence, well, how curious…well, I think I better leave, for I have to get back to the base and train to get that miserable red haired girl…!"

As Vega stands up to get dressed, he feels someone behind him. When he turns around, he sees in front of him five young girls –(Naru, Mitsune, Motoko, Shinobu, Kaolla Su, Mutsune)-, naked, each other saw themselves for a couple of seconds…then, they all scream –"EEEEKKKK….PERVERT!!"-…Next thing Vega sees is a punch to his face thrown by one of the angry girls –(Naru)-, then, the tall girl took out a Wooden Bokken –(Motoko)- and starts to strike him with it. Vega's trying to dodge all those crazy girls' attacks…-(thinking)- Man, I don't need this, I'm outta here!"-…Vega then proceeds to run for the exit from that place, while running to the hallway, something blocks his way…he sees small turtle-like robots, and behind them was a short ebony little girl, with blonde hair –(Kaolla Su)-, she had a remote control in her hands to control the robot turtles. The girl, with a wicked smile and laugh says…-"Tee hee hee, you little pervert, behold my creation…! It's the Cyber Turtles X3O…ready…FIRE!!"-…

Then the Turtle-Robots' Shells lift up and begin firing many micro-missiles at Vega. Many explosions detonate on Vega. Vega jumps up, Kaolla is mad. She whines, "Hey, no fair!"

Vega yells, "ARE YOU CRAZY LITTLE GIRL? GIRLS LIKE YOU SHOULDN'T BE PLAYING WITH DANGEROUS TOYS!!"

Vega was almost to the exit door, when Motoko stands in his way with her wooden Bokken:

Though hurt, Vega demands, "Get out of my way little girl! I don't want to hurt you!"

Motoko bravely declares, "You're not getting away from here…I will punish you!"

Motoko then attacks Vega with her arm…Since Vega was hurt, he was kinda slow. Motoko lands a strike on his damaged ribs…Vega screams in pain…despite his injuries, he manages to get out of that place…once outside, he glares back at the girls:

Naru yells, "And stay out you pervert!"

"Or next time I'll hurt you even more!" Mokoto says, still brandishing her sword.

Vega glares evilly at Motoko and sneers, "You only won this round girl cause I was weak and injured!" Then to all of the young women, he says, "But, mark my words girls, especially YOU girl –(pointing to Motoko)- I will return! No one wounds Vega and gets away with it, NO ONE! Remember my name!"

Vega then runs away. The girls celebrate, and then a boy arrives on the scene:

"Hey girls, what's going on here?" Keitaro asks.

Naru says, "Nothing…just a pervert entered here and tried to peep at us…"

Motoko says firmly, "But, I taught him a lesson he'll never forget. He will not come here again."

"But, he was strong and agile." Kaolla Su says, commenting on their intruder's rather handsome appearance.

But, he was kind of cute, wasn't he girls?" Mutsumi dreamily asks the other girls.

Mitsune says, "Yeah, he was…maybe more then Keitaro!"

Keitaro's insulted. "Hey!"

MEANWHILE….

R was in his apartment, happy, for he's nearly mastered Ms. Hinako's Chi- Sucking Technique. "I'm nearly through learning that –"Chi Draining"- from that Vampire-lady Ms. Hinako, then, Saotome will be mine! Hahahahahahaaaaa!"

TO BE CONTINUED…