Chapter 1

"This has been quite an encounter, my friend." Kiagi said smiling as he broke off for a moment to catch his breath. "It was certainly worth the wait." Breathing just as heavily, Ranma was also in a state satisfaction. "I gotta say, Kiagi." He said, panting as he took in what had already been the fight of his life. "I think I'm enjoying this just as much as you are. You ready to go again?"

Kiagi chuckled as he took his stance again. "I was beginning to think you'd never ask." He said as he lunged towards his opponent and released a heavy barrage of attacks. As each strike found its target, Ranma launched his own counterattack and threw hits just as quickly as he took them.

As they continued to trade blows with one another, Ranma and Kiagi came to the same conclusion that simply trading strikes wasn't going to win this fight. Jumping back Kiagi cupped his hands in front of himself and summoned his chi "Wrath of the Dragon!" he shouted as the red energy blast fired its way from the sorcerer's hands and towards Ranma who immediately conceived his counter attack. "Moko Takabisha!"

The two beams met each other in the centre of the stage and clashed with a severe explosion of intensity. Pushing each other back and forward, Ranma and Kiagi traded dominance over each other back and forth. First Ranma, then Kiagi. Then Ranma again, then Kiagi again.

He's still using this attack? Kiagi thought to himself as he prepared to make his next move. Here we go again. Sensing that history was about to repeat itself, Ranma watched as Kiagi broke of his attack. That's it, He thought to himself as Kiagi made his way across the stage. Just a little more.

Darting across the stage Kiagi expected to give Ranma a surprise attack like last time. But to his surprise, Ranma broke off his beam just as he came close enough and turned to deliver a vicious uppercut, knocking the sorcerer to the ground. "Not this time, Kiagi." He said wiping Kiagi's blood off his knuckles. "Not this time."

Amidst his surprise (and aching jaw), Kiagi couldn't help but smile. "So you do learn from your mistakes." He said jumping to his feet and spitting out a small amount of blood. "But I thought I warned you about using emotion based Chi attacks."

"You did." Ranma answered, smiling. "That's why I didn't use one. I worked out the kinks of my attack so that it doesn't need any confident Chi."

"You baited me in, didn't you?" Kiagi asked to which Ranma simply nodded. "Well I must say you truly are an anomaly."

Upon hearing this Akane smiled as she sat in the audience and watched. "You see that, Kaori?" she asked laying a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "That's what makes your dad as good as he is." Kaori said nothing. She was far too entranced by the match to pay any notice to what her mother was saying. Patting her stomach, Akane hoped that baby Saotome No. 2 was listening and paying attention as well as their big sister.

"I'm amazed at how well you've improved, Ranma." Kiagi said as a faint red glow began to form around him. "But I've hardly been slacking myself."

"I'm glad to hear it." Ranma said as he formed a white aura and took a very strange stance. "But you ain't seen nothing yet." That stance...Genma thought to himself as he watched Ranma's movements with great interest. What are you planning, boy?

Ranma's plans began to take form as he disappeared from sight much to the surprise and confusion of Kiagi. "What the hell?" he asked to himself as he looked around to try and find his opponent. "Ranma? Where did you go?"

Suddenly Kiagi felt what could only be described as a sledgehammer-like crash in his torso. The pain of which brought the sorcerer to his knees. "I don't understand." He said to himself as he spat out more blood and clutched his ribcage tightly. "What kind of technique is this?"

"The Umi-Sen-Ken" Genma finally said, crossing his arms as he looked on disapprovingly. "I never expected my son to use such a wicked and dastardly technique. How could he possibly resort to using this vile and hideous ability? Who could ever be so desperate?"

"Hold on a minute." Akane said, turning around from her seat to face her father in law. "Didn't you create the Umi-Sen-Ken as a way to burgle people's houses?" The sudden sound of splashing water was all the answer she needed. Don't look at me. Genma signed I'm just a cuddly innocent panda. "See that's what I thought."

"An invisibility trick." Kiagi said as he finally managed to work out Ranma's attack. Clenching his fist, he summoned a large amount of chi and forced it into his hand. "Let's see how well you do when neither of us can see!" He then drove his fist into the ground and caused several tiles to disintegrate into a thick white smoke.

"Uh-oh." Mu Tsu said as he straightened his glasses. "Things aren't looking to good now. Ryoga nodded as he looked on at the dense fog which now dominated the fighting stage. "I guess it's a level playing field now." He answered.

Inside the fog, Ranma tried desperately to grasp his bearings. "This is bad." He said dropping the Umi-Sen-Ken as he suddenly became the victim of an extremely strong kick. "I concur." Kiagi answered from within the smokescreen. "Without our sight, we're now on an even level. Your little invisibility trick will be of no use."

The action became slow and methodical as both fighters carefully made their way around each other. The tension was fierce as neither Ranma nor Kiagi knew where the other one was and knew even less about whether they were in danger of a ring out!

Indeed, the tension was well and truly fierce within the fighting stage. Outside of the stage however, the crowd were becoming restless and impatient.

"I can't see!"

"Where are they?"

"This thing's been going on for hours, are they done yet?"

"I'm bored!"

"These people have no sense of patience." Soun said as he looked around at the crowd surrounding him. "It's nothing but a sheer disrespect for the art." Genma nodded as he poured a kettle of hot water onto himself. "It's true, Tendo." He said crossing his arms. "But at the same time, I'd like to know what's going on inside that smoke. Also, I think my butt's fallen asleep."