CHAPTER 51

-"HOWLING BLOOD! NEKO-RANMA VS. WILD-R!"-

Last time:

A horrified Akane yells out, "EVERYONE. YOU MUST GET OUT OF HERE! QUICKLY, BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!"

Ran, not understanding what's going on, asks her "But why Akane?"

"IT'S BECAUSE OF RANMA! HE`S GONNA GO INTO NEKO-KEN!!"

Ran blinks. "Neko-Ken? The Cat-Fist? What is that?"

Akane has a desperate look in her eyes; she urges, "PLEASE RAN. TAKE EVERYONE AND LEAVE, BEFORE RANMA SNAPS OUT OF THE TRANCE!"

Kodachi, worried for her beloved R, asks, "R-Darling. Are you okay?"

Both Ranma and R are out cold…then IT happens:

Ranma meows, "MYAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

R howls, "GROUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!"

The two of them were now in the state of crazy animals… and now facing each other…like a wolf and a tiger…

Dr. Wily panics; he's now worried for his son R. "OH NOOOO!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE ERICK!?"

Erick silences him, "Quiet, Doc. Now, we're about to see which technique is supreme. R's or Ranma's…" To everyone assembled, he dramatically declares, "Gentlemen…THIS IS THE FIGHT WE WILL ENJOY! BEHOLD…!"

NEKO-RANMA VS. WILD-R!

"HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!"

And now…

Back to the Story!

The students are now confused at the sight of Ranma and R. One minute they're both fighting each other…the next…they're howling like a cat and a wolf…

Hiroshi blinks. "Man…I know when Ranma goes into Neko-Ken, he acts like that. But why did R mimic him?"

Yuka admits, "Don't know."

Akane calls to her fiancé. "Ranma…can you hear me?…If you can, please, stop this and come to me."

Sayuri can't believe this. "What are you doing Akane?"

"When Ranma goes into Neko-Ken, only I can get him out of there, cause of the trust he has in me!"

Then… IT BEGINS!!

Both Animal Warriors dash toward each other like lighting…and collide.

- (Special Note: BGM: Insert Music – "RHYTHMIC HALLUCINATION" -, Orochi New Face Team Theme Song from King Of Fighters 1997.) –

Both of them are trading punches, kicks, claws, at rapid speeds…almost as if their hands and feet were blurs.

Everyone's enjoying the fight; however…not for long.

"Man, look at them go now…I can't see anything"-

"WOW, TALK ABOUT FIGHTING LIKE ANIMALS…BUT THIS IS INSANE!!"

"I LOVE IT!"-

Akane worries, whispering, "No…please Ranma, stop!"

A scared Ran thinks, R, why are you doing this? What happened to you?

Wild-R dashes toward Neko-Ranma… punches him in the face, grabs and then smashes him into the ground – think Orochi Iori's SDM Maiden Masher from KOF '97.

Neko-Ranma quickly gets up …then kicks Wild-R with a series of fast kicks, and ends it up with a Ryusei-Kyaku (Shooting Star Kick)…sending Wild-R into the sky and landing hard on the ground.

Wild-R gets up…screams in anger, - (as a wolf) – then unleashes his Silver Metallic - which, in his feral state, is MUCH faster (!!), the razor sharp blows striking wildly in random directions!

Neko-Ranma tries to evade them…but fails, because there were thousands of them…he blocks them….but as he's blocking them, the attack is shredding his clothes up, leaving him bare-naked on the way up.

The attacks that pass him are destroying anything in their path…trash cans, rocks, trees…

Principal Kuno steps out and sees the fight. "HEY, THERE BE NO FIGHTIN' IN ME SCHOOL! YOU LISTENIN' KEIKIS?! STOP NOW OR DA BIG KAHUNA WILL HAVE TO PUNISH YOU!"

They did not listen to him, as they continue to fight.

Neko-Ranma unleashes an attack…he jumps toward Wild-R, and then swings his arms. Ki-Claws are formed in his arms, and started to slash him. Wild-R yipes in pain as one of the Claws cut him.

Wild-R moves away and one of Neko-Ranma's claws slice up the Principal's Statue:

With tears in his eyes, Principal Kuno wails, "OH NOOOO!! NOT ME STATUE! TEACHER HINAKO, STOP DESE DELINQUENTS NOW, BEFORE DEY CAUSE MORE DAMAGE!!"

Of course…Hinako might be a child…but not stupid or naïve. Judging by the way the fight was going…it would be dangerous for her to try and stop them:

Hinako-Chan gets scared. "ME!? UH UH, NO WAY!! THEY`LL HURT ME!!"

Back in the field:

Wild-R, angrily dashes toward Neko-Ranma and unleashes a deadly attack, as he grabs and starts slashing him a lot, then chokes him and explode him in purple flames (Maiden Masher Style from Iori Yagami).

Ran can't take this anymore – the sight of Ranma and R fighting each other like this disturbs her greatly. "AKANE, WE GOTTA DO SOMETHING! THOSE TWO WILL FIGHT UNTIL THEY KILL EACH OTHER!"

Akane feels the same way. "I know. But if we could only get close to them, without them attacking us."

In the fight…as Wild-R and Neko-Ranma are duking it out…the power was outstanding. Every time their punches hit, they create a small earthquake. Many students decide to run away.

Then…

Wild-R and Neko-Ranma began to dash away from Furinkan…while fighting each other at the same time.

Without hesitation, Ran says, "Akane, they're getting away. We must go after them!"

Akane nods, "Yeah, let's go!"

RED CATS' SECRET BASE – CAT GHOST KING'S SHRINE:

All the people who are watching the fight are very fascinated by the results, especially Erick. "My oh my. They sure know how to fight, as wild animals, eh folks?"

The Cat Statue agrees, "Meow…that Neko-Ranma, he could be a worthy guardian of mine. Wish I could have him…if I didn't hate him so much."

Dr. Wily's beaming with pride for R. "OH, MY BOY! I NEVER THOUGHT HE COULD FIGHT SO GREAT! HE`S GIVING THAT CURSED RANMA A TASTE OF HIS OWN MEDICINE! I..I'M SO PROUD!!" Then he bursts into tears of joy, crying Soun Tendo Style, "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"

Bass frowns, a worried look on his face. Watching R's berserker rage in action, he thinks, Man, R sure knows how to fight like a beast. I better know how to counter it if I have to fight him again.

Bubbleman acts all overdramatic as he wails, "IT'S LIKE…WATCHING A HORROR MOVIE! Reminds me of Godzilla vs. King Kong!"

Onekomaru whistles, "Damn! That Ranma, he's like…really a wild cat, not faking it. I should know, since I'm a cat."

Delia confirms, "You are correct my little fur ball. Ranma's mind is like that of a cat at that moment…and therefore, he's fighting like a cat.

Erick chuckles, "Quite right Delia. Likewise with R. His mind is as the mind of a wild wolf. This fight, is like the old saying, -"Fighting like Cats and Dogs"- "

MAKAI REALM –CASTLE MAXIMOV:

Dimitri himself could not believe the fight he was seeing. Neither did the rest of the evil Dark Stalkers. In awe, he comments, "I don't believe what I'm seeing. Those two fight like demons, as if they were possessed."

Hannya-Bishamon confirms, "Yes, the power and speed they're showing is unlike anything I have ever seen."

"But…how did those two manage to fight like that? Are they some powerful Darkstalkers?"

"No. But they have the power to be one…or even more."

SHADOWLOO H.Q.:

M. Bison's watching the battle between Neko-Ranma and Wild-R, too. He likes what he's seeing on screen. "Amazing. Never have I seen that kind of battle. Truly, they are powerful."

Tron Bonne's shaking a little bit in fear of the two Insane Beasts. "But, they're kinda scary. It's like they're animals, with no human soul inside them."

B. B. Hood remarks, "Almost like they're Darkstalkers…but more powerful. That Wild-R sure reminds me of that werewolf John Talban…except this one could teach HIM a few things!"

Balrog whistles in awe, "The hell…? Are those two human? Cause they sure don't look it."

Sagat confirms, "Correct. They fight with the Spirits of the Animals within them. Those moves, those skills…. Makes me want to test my skills against either of them."

On screen, Erick warns the Emperor of Muay Thai, "Think wisely Sagat. If you go up against them in this state…you'd be slaughtered like a lamb."

Bison snorts, "But I don't care. Either of them would be fine for me…they could even be important to my troops. I must know the training methods!"

Erick sweatdrops at Bison's comment. "Bison, I wouldn't recommend it."

BACK IN TOKYO:

Akane, Ran and Kodachi are running through the street of Tokyo, trying to find their dates. As they are running, they witness the destruction the Ranma and R left in the wake of their fight…slashed cars, trees, wrecked walls, etc.

"I think we'd better hurry. Judging by the looks of this mess, I'd say we're close."

Hoping and praying for her fiancé safety (and the return of his sanity), Akane says, "I just hope they're alright. I don't wanna lose Ranma!"

Kodachi with tears in her eyes, leaps from rooftop to rooftop. "R DARLING, WHERE ARE YOU? I`M COMING!!"

JUUBAN DISTRICT – A PARK:

We see Sailor Moon and the Sailor Scouts going up against three powerful Youma, led by Malachite and Zoycite.

With an evil smirk, Malachite declares, "Ha! You're finished Sailor Moon. You won't be able to defeat these new and powerful Youma!"

Malachite's "partner" Zoycite laughs, "So give up Sailor Brats, you're done for!"

Sailor Moon goes into one of her speeches. "We will never give up to you or anyone. We will triumph over evil and that…"- She hears some approaching noises. "…huh!? What's that noise coming from?"

-"CRASH!!"-

The wall near them explodes, as two beings charge through it.

Malachite, Zoycite and the Sailor Scouts see two people fighting like crazy…even more so…as if they were animals:

Sailor Moon points at Wild-R and Neko-Ranma. "Um…who the heck are those two?"

Sailor Mars replies, "I don't know."

But it's Sailor Jupiter who recognizes R! "Hey, wait a minute! I remember him! Isn't that the guy we met the other day, with that crazy girl?"

Sailor Mercury confirms, "Yes, you're right Lita. It's that R guy who beat that Youma and hurt Tuxedo Mask."

NOW Sailor Moon remembers him. Hopping mad, she recalls, "He IS? My dear Darien is still hurt cause of him! I'll show him!"

Malachite demands to know, "Who are these two who dare to ruin our moment of glory?"

Zoycite shrugs, "Beats me."

In the heat of the battle…Wild-R punches Neko-Ranma with a hard hook, stunning him a little, and then he delivers a fast clothesline and runs and slams him into a wall, destroying it in the process. Neko-Ranma strikes him with a rising kick, sending him to the air. Then he jumps and delivers a deadly air combo, finishing it up with a spinning slide slam, making a crater in the floor.

Even though they were hurt, they couldn't stop fighting…

Neko-Ranma tries to slash Wild-R but misses…and ends up slicing a car in half, like a hot knife passing through butter, then a poster, and a tree…the Sailor Scouts are now scared of these warriors…likewise, so are Malachite and Zoycite:

Sailor Moon gets scared off by the display of raw animal fury. "ARE…ARE THOSE TWO DEMONS OR SOMETHING? HE JUST SLICED A CAR IN TWO!"

Sailor Mercury uses the optics built into her tiara to analyze the two combatants – but she can't give Sailor Moon a sure answer. "I…I don't know!"

Sailor Venus trembles. "Guys, I'm scared now."

Malachite snorts, "I don't care what they are…!" He then commands the Nega-monsters, "YOU THREE YOUMA, GET RID OF THOSE TWO!"

Youma 1 obediently replies, "Yes sir!"

But before anyone could react…one of Neko-Ranma's slashes slices up the three Youma, destroying them in a blink of an eye. Malachite and Zoycite both put up Force Fields…but even with that…their clothes are torn apart and cuts appears all over their bodies.

Zoycite's scared and in awe of these two. "NO…! They're destroyed!? But…they were our strongest Youma in Queen Beryl's army. How can that be!?"

Malachite gnashes his teeth, not believing what he's seen. "I…I…I don't know. But such power…! Ugh…even with our force fields, they hurt us…Zoycite, we must retreat and inform Queen Beryl."

With that, both of them disappear…

Sailor Mars gasps, "NO WAY! WE COULDN'T EVEN TOUCH THOSE YOUMA! BUT HE…" she points at Neko-Ranma, "…GOT RID OF THEM LIKE THEY WERE NOTHING!"

Sailor Jupiter's not going down without a fight. She's determined to put a stop to R and Ranma's fight. If those two are some kind of human-Youma hyrbrid, then at least she can hold them off until Sailor Moon can cure the wild men with her Moon Healing Activation. She says to rst of the Scouts, "WE GOTTA STOP THEM BEFORE THEY HURT US OR SOME INNOCENT PEOPLE!"

Mars agrees, "SHE`S RIGHT…!!" Then, she unleashes one of her signature attacks! "MARS CELESTIAL FIRE SURROUND!"

Summoning an aura of electricity around her, Jupiter's about to bring down the thunder and lightning! "JUPITER THUNDER STRIKE!"

They launch their attacks at Wild-R and Neko-Ranma …but unfortunately…

The attacks hit them…but they didn't even feel it. It's as if their nerve endings are shut down, rendering them unable to feel pain. It's like nothing hit them at all.

Sailor Mars gasps, "NO…IMPOSSIBLE! MY ATTACK DIDNT EVEN HURT HIM!?"

Sailor Jupiter's scared now. "WHAT…WHAT KIND OF DEMONS ARE THESE GUYS? THEY DIDN'T EVEN FEEL OUR ATTACKS!"

Wild-R kicks the ground and create a spiraling blade of air in front of him, hitting Neko-Ranma and pushing him back. He does the same move again, but Neko-Ranma evades it and the attack destroys some trees and posters in the process…the Sailor Scouts had to dodge them in the nick of time.

Sailor Venus cries in fear. "GUYS, I WANNA GO HOME!"

Sailor Mercury's eye twitches in disbelief over what's happening. Even worse, her scanners are unable to properly analyze these fierce newcomers. She observes, wondering, "How is it possible? That insane guy created a spiral of air and destroyed those trees…it's inhuman!"

Sailor Moon wails, frightened, "I WANT MY MOMMY!"

Then, Neko-Ranma launches his Mouko-Takabisha, while Wild-R launches his Active Red Pearl. Both attacks collide and a huge explosion of fire took place, illuminated the place like the sun. They throw like five balls of Ki energy straight…causing massive damage. And continue their assault…

RED CATS' SECRET BASE – CAT GHOST KING'S SHRINE:

Watching the fight, Erick been paying close attention to R, ever since he'd used the EG-K9 Trancemitter to force R into a violent animal rage. He's thinking, It seems that R's animal instincts are growing more and more powerful by the second.

Dr. Wily cheers R on, laughing, "YEAH, THAT'S MY BOY! HAHAHA! HE`S GETTING MORE POWERFUL THAN RANMA! HE MAY EVEN BECOME MORE OF AN ANIMAL THAN HE IS! HOHOHOHO!!"

The Cat Statue is impressed with R's performance. "He IS very powerful meow."

Having thought over what Wily's just said, Erick warns in a serious voice, "We'd better pray that he doesn't Dr. Wily."

Dr. Wily blinks, "Huh! Why not?"

"If R should exceed the limitations of the Neko Ken…he might end up losing all his humanity…becoming nothing more then a crazy animal. Which in that case, we would be forced to eliminate him."

Dr. Wily's wide-eyed in shock. "WHAAT!? Noooo…!! No, we can't destroy him!! We NEED him! Besides…that cursed Ranma has it under control, so I'm pretty sure that R will do it too!"

Erick shakes his head no. "Unlike Ranma, Doc, R doesn't have much experience dealing with it. But, we'll talk about that later. Right now…the fight is still on."

Akane, Ran and Kodachi arrive at Juuban Park, to see many damage property created by Ranma and R.

They see that they're still fighting, without stopping, and see the Sailor Scouts, cowering in a corner, unable to move, due to the fight between the wild animals.

Akane spots them. "There they are."

Ran confirms, "I see them…man…look at this place! It's like a total war zone."

Aching for R, Kodachi cries, "R-Darling…!"

It's almost the end of the fight…Wild-R is gaining the upper hand over Neko-Ranma, as he unleashes a more powerful Active Red Pearl and nails him hard. Then he rushes toward him and sinks his teeth in his left shoulder, making Neko-Ranma scream in pain. Next, Neko-Ranma punches Wild-R back, forcing him to let go.

The girls see that both fighters are cover with many bruises and cuts, covered in blood, both panting hard. They have to stop them now!

Akane risks going to Ranma. "Ran, I've gotta go and stop them"

Ran exclaims, "WHAT! Akane, you can't! You'll be hurt by Ranma and R!"

Akane assures Ran, "Ranma won't hurt me! I trust him, and I know he won't attack me."

"Ranma maybe…but what about R?"

"I don't care! I've gotta help Ranma!"

Ran, though unsure, reluctantly says, "Um…yeah…maybe you're right." Oh R…what's gotten into you?

Just as the two wild animal warriors are about to launch their final assault…three girls step in front of them. The Wild Warriors see the girls and stop and growl at them. Even though they are scared…they gulp, but regain their courage:

Akane calls, "Ranma, please, it's me, Akane! Stop what you're doing and come here with me."

Kodachii tries to reach R. "R-Darling. Don't you know me? It's me, your sweet Kodachi-Chan. Can you hear me?"

Next thing you know, it happens… both warriors begin to summon all of their Ki, and with mean glares toward each other…

Akane wonders, "What…what are they doing?"

Ran gasps, "Oh no! Akane, Kodachi, we better move fast…they're about to launch one final attack."

The three girls get out of the way FAST…

Wild-R and Neko-Ranma are charging up lots of Ki energy for one last attack…the final one. As they're charging up…a small earthquake is created from all that Ki being gathered. Then… It happens:

Wild-R howls, "GRAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUU!!"

Neko-Ranma yowls, "MYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOO!!"

As if they're bullets, they dash toward each other…and when they get close…they throw both fists at each other…hitting at the same time in the face. An explosion of Ki reacts…

KABOOOOOOOOOOM!!

Everything happens in slow motion, as their fists make contact with each other's faces…then, they fall to the ground. A double KO?

The girls rush to them…Ran and Akane go to check on Ranma, while Kodachi goes to R.

Both R and Ranma are severely injured, as their bodies were all a mess…shredded clothes, serious wounds, blood coming from their cuts.

Akane lifts Ranma's head on her lap. " Ranma, Ranma, can you hear me. Speak to me please!"

Kodachi does the same for R. Worried for him, she sobs, "R-DARLING, ARE YOU ALRIGHT? COME ON! SPEAK TO KODACHI-CHAN!"

"Ran…call an ambulance, HURRY!"

Ran nods, "Um…right, I'm on my way!"

Suddenly…Wild-R slowly gets up, and stares at Ranma, growling a little. Akane's now worried, for Ranma's down…and who's gonna save them from Wild-R's fury?

Then Ran steps in front of Wild-R!

Akane can't believe it – what's Ran thinking? Trying to stop her, she yells, "RAN, DON'T DO IT!!"

"I have to Akane," Ran quietly says to her. Facing Wild-R, she calmly says to him, "Please R…just stop this. You need to go to the hospital. You're hurt."

Wild-R growls, "GRRRRRRRR…!!" then quickly advances toward Ran as if to strike her down!

"R…!! STOP IT RIGHT NOW!!"

SLAP!

Ran just slaps Wild-R in the face. Wild-R gasps on the occurrence, and then he sees Ran's face. He just stares at her eyes, sees tears of fear, sadness, and anger pouring from them. He sees that she's crying:

"Why are you doing this R!? What happened to you? Tell me, please!"

Wild-R can't stand the sight and he lets out an inhuman scream. Then he jumps to the nearest building and vanishes. Kodachi goes after him…leaving them alone. Twenty minutes later, the ambulance arrives, picks up Ranma and goes to the hospital. Akane is by his side, as well as Ran. But Ran's now worried and confused at the same time…

Why didn't R attack her?

How come he ran away from her when he saw her cry?

R... What happened to you? Why did you do this? How can you do this? Was it because of what I said?

Ran begins to cry harder at that thought. Many questions were on her mind but she'd have to find out later…for right now, Ranma needs help.

MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE RED CATS' SECRET BASE:

Dr. Wily can't believe what just happened!

"NO! IMPOSSIBLE!! R was clearly winning the battle! He would have won too, if Ran hadn't interfered! I'm really beginning to HATE that girl…" Wily then grabs Brightman, jerking him by his lab coat. "All right you! YOU said that Neko-Ken is the ultimate fighting style! YOU said that R would be invincible! So WHY, with just one slap in the face from a mere slip of a girl, did R just run away with his tail between his legs!?

Bass flatly says, "Because that's what scared dogs do, Doc." He then laughs, "Makes sense, too, since this IS "Dog-Boy" we're talking about here."

Dr. Wily gives Bass a mean look. "You are SO NOT helping right now, Bass!" He starts shaking Brightman. "ANSWER ME, BRIGHTMAN! WHY DIDN'T IT WORK!?"

Brightman gives his answer. "Umm… Did I fail to mention that a person the user trusts unconditionally can get him out of the feline, or in this case, wolf state, calm him down? That usually makes the technique useless overall in battle. That, and it's been banned for well over a hundred years."

Dr. Wily looks like he's about to explode, his face purple with rage. "WHY YOU…! Are you trying to make me look like an idiot by telling me this NOW?

"Oh? It must have slipped my mind. Silly me. Well, if you need me, I'll be in the lab conducting experiments." And with that, Brightman leaves the shrine and a VERY unhappy Dr. Wily.

Angry, Dr. Wily growls, "Grrrr…!

With a commanding voice, Erick says, "ENOUGH! Now…all was not lost. After all…we managed to see the power of R's –"Kyoujuu-Urufuken"*-, and I must say, it was very intriguing, if I do say so myself."

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: * Kyoujuu-Urufuken = Insane Beast Wolf-Fist]

The Statue of the Cat Ghost King agrees with Erick, "Yes, I loved it meow! That fight was simply purrrrrrrrrrfect.

Erick suggests, "For future plans…we must train R in order to control his animal instincts; that way, he'll have total control of the Wolf Fist."

Bass's thinking, Man, I better train and learn a lot…for if I want to get rid of Dog-Boy and claim my Kingdom, I'd better become great, and to stand against R. Should he go berserk again, I will be ready.

"So be it. Well gentlemen, I must be going…I'll be right back."

Dr. Wily wants to know, "Where are you going?"

"Oh, just to…fix something." Erick then vanishes from sight.

SHADOWLOO H.Q.:

M. Bison stands up from his throne, applauding. "Marvelous…! Truly a marvelous fight of two gladiators. I was very impressed. Hahaha…!"

Tron gives her post-battle commentary. "Geez…I've never seen that kind of a battle in all my life. The damage they caused… total chaos."

B. nods in agreement. "Tell me about it. That R fellow would sure give an annoying certain werewolf Darkstalker a fight for his life, and beat the crap outta him. But R, that's one fellow I wouldn't dare to hunt…" She then burst into tears, crying, "HE'D TEAR ME APART! WAAAAH!!"

Sagat comments, "Now THOSE are two worthy opponents that I would like to fight against."

Bison just glares at Sagat. "Didn't you listen to what Erick said Sagat…those two would tear you apart. I must know the secret of the Wolf Fist. My army would be invincible! Hahahaha!"

MAKAI REALM – MAXIMOV CASTLE:

Dimitri's in awe. "I…I don't believe it. What kind of powers do those two have? No Darkstalker I've ever seen has those powerful moves…not even…not even that cursed Werewolf Jon Talban has those skills. What are they?"

Hannya-Bishamon responds, "I don't know Dimitri. But clearly it seems that those two have the Spirits of the Animals within them. I'm afraid that they may even hurt YOU severely Dimitri…or worse… destroy you."

Dimitri normally would have scolded Bishamon for that comment…but…he too was thinking along that same line.

SOUTH POLE – NEGAVERSE CASTLE – QUEEN BERYL'S THRONE ROOM:

After Malachite and Zoycite report to Queen Beryl about the incident of the fight of Wild-R and Neko-Ranma, Queen Beryl is watching the video of the fight in her floating crystal. She saw it all…

In the end, Beryl's intrigued. "Yes, such a fight they showed. What powers, even more…those Sailor Brats hit them with their powers, and they didn't even feel them! Hahaha. But most of all…the power they have within them, look at all the damage…Oh yes, I must have them under my power…can you imagine those two under my control…SAILOR MOON WOULD BE NO THREAT TO ME! NO ONE WOULD DARE OPPOSE ME! I WOULD RULE THE UNIVERSE!! Malachite, Zoycite, I want you two to go and capture them for me!"

Having seen firsthand what Wild-R and Neko-Ranma can do, Malachite's thinking THAT's a bad idea. Is he going to tell HER that? Nope. So he obediently says, "Um…very well, my Queen."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that." A voice from out of nowhere says.

Queen Beryl quickly scans her chamber for intruders. "Huh! Who's there?"

Erick then appears in front of them. His hands are behind his back and with a cool expression on his face he walks toward them:

Queen Beryl's mad now; she demands of Erick, "Who the hell are you? How did you get in here?"

Erick bows, introducing himself. "My name is High Priest Erick Genryusai. As for how I got in here, heh heh…that is a secret."

"You've invaded my private chamber…what do you want?"

"It's very simple…you cannot have R, so forget about him. He is an important element for OUR mission."

Infuriated by this man's arrogance, Beryl roars, "HOW DARE YOU!? HOW DARE YOU COME IN HERE, AND ORDER ME AROUND! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO I AM YOU INSOLENT MORTAL!?"

Erick casually says, "But of course I do…Queen Beryl of the Negaverse, sworn enemy of Sailor Moon."

"I could kill you right now. How is it that you know me?"

"Oh I know many, many things. But enough chit chat…"

"Enough indeed…MALACHITE, ZOYCITE, GET THIS PUNY MORTAL OUT OF MY SIGHT!!"

With an evil smile, Malachite says, "It will be our pleasure!"

Just as Malachite and Zoycite are about to attack Erick…ten of Erick's Zero-Spawn teleport into the chamber and stand behind him. They draw their Plasma Swords and assume battle poses. Malachite and Zoycite gasp in fear and step back.

"What are those soldiers?" Queen Beryl asks, pointing at Erick's mecha-minions.

With a wave of his hands, Erick indicates, "These are my creations." He warns Malachite and Zoycite, "If you move, they'll cut you into pieces. Now stand down."

Next thing…Queen Beryl launches from her hands some dark lightning at Erick. But Erick just catches the blast with his hand and it dissipates. She gasps at this:

Beryl is shocked at this stranger's ability. "NO! How…how can that be? I AM SUPREME! HOW COULD YOU STAND AGAINST MY DIVINE POWERS!?"

Erick chuckles, "Divine powers? Lady…you know nothing of divine powers. I COULD show you, but unfortunately I don't have the time. Now to do what I've come here to do."

Erick takes out a little device from his coat…puts on a pair of dark glasses …then shows the device to Queen Beryl, Malachite and Zoycite:

Queen Beryl is confused. "Wha…what is that? What are you going to do with that?"

Erick smiles at her. "Wait, you'll see…okay…now smile!"

"FLASH!"

A big flash of light comes from the device and illuminates the whole chamber…after that…Erick takes off the glasses and addresses them. Queen Beryl now has a far-away look in her eyes, a zombie-like look on her face… both she and her two henchmen are in a deep trance. Erick then continues:

"Okay…you did not see two powerful warriors. What you saw was nothing more then a fight between a stray dog and a stray cat. The damage you saw was done by a leaking gas pipe that went off and destroyed the place…okay?"

They just nod.

"Thank you for your cooperation. Have a nice day… Okay boys, let's go home."

Then, they all vanish.

TO BE CONTINUED…

AND NOW, A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE AUTHOR OF THIS STORY:

Before we begin, I'd like to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU to EVERYBODY who's sent us reviews both before AND after the story got taken down.

Honestly, I WASN'T looking forward to re-writing this puppy all over again. But after seeing how it's turned out, I can say that I like THIS version of the story better.

Now, I'd like to thank these readers in particular....

To DS: No, I don't hate Dan at all. And I agree, he does kick ass in the games. But keep in mind that Capcom themselves made him a "joke" character. So, for the purposes of THIS story, we used him (and will CONTINUE to use him!) as comedy relief. Plus he's FUNNY!

To Cybertoy00, who's obviously a BIG fan of the Megaman series (And one of the reasons we included Tron Bonne and later, Lan and MegamanEXE to our growing cast of characters!!)

To spatulawielder, for his "honest critique" of the story so far and his encouragement. We're glad you enjoyed it and please keep reading. The story's not over yet!

I CERTAINLY don't want to forget PEJP Bengtzone, who'd started reading this story, somewhere between chapters 50 - 65(?), BEFORE FanFictionNet took my story down. Hmmm...

Anyway, he was the one who'd mentioned that Icchan (from Angelic Layer) was Chii's father / creator to me, and I've since incorprated THAT detail into the chapter where Lan finally meets Dr. Light. I REALLY tried to make Lan not a "braindead moron, like they made him in the anime." as you mentioned in one of your old reviews. This time around, I like how's he turned out. And now that Lan's met Dr. Light, you can except to see a little more of him and MegamanEXE in future chapters; I hope to get him in action with Megaman, Ranma, Ryu and co. Cross Fusion, anyone?

Since then, through his reviews, he's given me a few good ideas - SOME of them which I might be able to use (particularly for the Megaman Battle Network characters) in later chapters.

Unfortunately, I can't answer some of your questions about the story without revealing the plot! So please accept my humble apologies for not sending you a reply.

Bottom line, I want to thank you for your reviews and suggestions. And please, keep on reading. Even though you might not see everything YOU want to see included in this story, I think you'll like what we've got planned for future chapters.

And finally, what can I say...?

I've got to send a shout-out AND a SUPER SPECIAL THANK YOU to my co-author Erick-Genryusai (who's written a few fanfics of his own on this site as well!) for his input and support as well as being a good friend. Read his fanfics and send him some reviews! He'd really appreciate it!

Okay, I'll shut up now.

Keep your browsers pointed to FanFiction(dot)Net folks! Because, THIS year, as promised, NEW CHAPTERS wil be coming soon! You won't want to miss what's in store for Ranma, Ran, and our cast of characters!

=====WE NOW RETURN YOU TO YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED STORY.=====