Ranma and the Talismans chapter 8
Sorry about the long wait I ran into a few delays, and this chapter was over 2000 words longer than what I was expecting. At least I got it out in time for April fool's day. Although you don't have to worry about this chapter being a prank.
Without further delays, let's get onto the story.
Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, Ranma 1/2 Is owned by Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications. Jackie Chan Adventures is owned by Adelaide Productions, Sony Pictures, and probably Jackie Chan.
I recommend supporting the source material.
Uncle
Evening, Tendo House
The two Chans ended their embrace, and Jade asked, "so where's Jackie"?
Uncle in a sad voice replied, "sadly he couldn't come. We were originally planning on visiting when Jackie got a break from his latest archaeological dig and filming his latest movie. However, hearing about your friend's hair situation, we knew it was best if I went ahead to take care of it. Besides, I have been wanting to do some repairs with my Japanese shop for a while now".
A frown appeared on Jade's face with this explanation. Before anyone can notice the sounds of two people came rushing out of the house. Ranma came out full force, and began shaking the old man's hand, "it's a pleasure to meet you cure… I mean, Uncle". However, the older of the two stopped immediately in their tracks after seeing the old man. Genma quietly snuck back inside the house, after noticing the man wearing the yellow polyester vest.
Seeing the redhead Uncle said, "you must be Ranma. Jade told me a lot of nice things about you. Including that you are one of the strongest martial artists she has ever seen. So why don't you use that strength to help Uncle with his bags".
Ranma simply shrugged her shoulders and excepted the old man's request. If the guy was going to help her family with three curses, carrying a bag of luggage should be a simple task. The girl was proven wrong when she saw the taxi's trunk was bursting with duffel bags and suitcases. Ranma then grunted from the effort of lifting the first duffel bag, and "muttered why is this thing so heavy"?
The old man simply replied, "that bag should have three of my heavier cauldrons in it".
Ranma angrily replied, "why am I being forced to carry all of your heavy luggage, Ow". Before the redhead could so much as finish her statement the alleged chi wizard hit their forehead with a two-finger slap.
Uncle in a much sterner tone then replied, "I have to deal with three curses I haven't examined yet and fix a magical problem in my shop, of course, I will bring a lot of luggage! Now, do you want to be cured? Yes. Then get to moving Uncle's Stuff"!
Ranma simply let out a huff and began moving the rest of Uncle's luggage inside.
A few minutes later
Ranma was grumbling something about how moving Uncle's stuff would be easier if she was a guy. Yet she still managed to move the last of Uncle's bags to the corner near the stairs. Looking around the exhausted redhead asked "where's Uncle".
Jade answered, "Uncle is in the bathroom. He said something about the airplane food being bad for his digestion".
Hearing this Genma made his presence known by gathering the two and leading them to the family room. Seeing everyone in the house was there excluding Kasumi and Uncle the man spoke. "If me and my son have any chance of being cured we must not let the old man see my face"!
In confusion, Soun said, "Saotome what could possibly be the problem? Uncle lives in America, and we haven't been there since before our kids were born. So how could you have even met the guy, let alone leave a lasting bad impression"?
However, these words didn't ease Genma's nerves one bit as the man gave his explanation. "I'm not sure how but I'm sure I met the guy over here in Japan. In fact, my story takes place a day before me and my son came to town".
With the room's full attention, Genma began weaving his tail."I had recently told my son the news of the engagement, but the ungrateful boy ran away the moment I had my back turned.I spent a few hours looking for Ranma, but all I found was my growling stomach. Knowing I couldn't find him on an empty belly I began looking for food instead. Eventually, I came across an antique shop, and when I looked through the window I saw a plate with a mung bean sandwich on it, and no one to claim it".
Jade interrupted The story by saying, "Yeah you convinced me you made Uncle mad. because what other antique shop would have a mung bean sandwich in it"?
Akane in curiosity asked, "Jade does your Uncle own a shop called 'Uncle's Rare Finds'? Because I think I run past it during some of my jogs"?
Jade nonchalantly answered, "got it in one cuz. Uncle owns shops all over the world and likes to check up on them through a special transportation method he created. My guess is Genma got unlucky stopping by the shop when he was visiting, and meeting me the day Uncle went back to San Francisco".
Genma in a dejected tone said, "I'm afraid that's not the end of it. When I was just about done with the sandwich an old man wearing a yellow polyester vest walked in and saw me. The old man in rage hollered the words, 'a thief is taking Uncle's mung bean sandwich', and then grabbed a nearby broom. Seeing the hostility in the old man's eyes, I tried pulling a dine and dash, but the old man predicted my moves. He moved in such a way that I couldn't get anywhere near the door without going through him and the old man swung the broom in a way that I couldn't run past him, without risking getting a few good thwacks in the face. However, I managed to grab a hold of the broom and broke it in two, but I quickly realize this was a mistake".
Ranma winced at this and commented, "by the sounds of it you made the old man mad. Luckily for you, I just got done with a photo shoot with Nabiki. So I should be able to pay for a broom and a sandwich".
However, his father simply shook his head before saying, "trust me, Boy with what happened next I doubt you could pay for it".
Genma begins telling his story again, "after I broke the broom I figured it would be no problem getting past the old man, but Uncle had a few tricks up his sleeve. With my guard down, he managed to land a few acupuncture strikes on my body. Those strikes didn't do much damage, but they made me feel like I weighed half a ton. The old man then grabbed a spare broom, leaning against the wall, and prepared to land some hits. However, to my luck, I managed to grab one of the samurai swords hanging in the shop. I figured if I pointed a weapon at the man he would give up, but Jade's relative wasn't going to give up without a fight".
"The two of us stared at each other, waiting to see who would make the first move. Seeing an opening, I swung the sword cutting the broom in two. However, Uncle saw an opening of his own and knocked the sword out of my hand with what was left of the wooden handle. The sword went flying into a different chamber. The sounds of metal clanging and the image of green sparks filled the back room of the store. Based on the look in the man's eyes I must have destroyed some notable wiring or something".
Akane winced at this statement before replying in a hopeful voice, "that's really bad! Although maybe if you beg him really hard, and if Jade says some nice stuff about you…"
Yet Genma cut the girl off by saying, "with what I did next, I doubt he will forgive me, even if I performed the 'Crouch of the Wild Tiger'. Because after I presumably broke something electrical Uncle slapped me on the head with two fingers and said 'Do you have any idea what you've done?! If that thing is damaged badly enough my Japanese shop could be ruined'! The old man began to scold and lecture me. looking for a way to escape I saw Uncle was standing beside a display of samurai armor and quickly came up with a plan. By the time he said, one more thing for the third time, I successfully knocked over the suit of armor onto him. The collapsing display was more successful than I thought, as a couple of other antiques followed suit, and knocked Uncle out. After making sure the guy still had a pulse I ran away before anyone came to check out the scene".
Finishing the story his audience went slack-jawed and were thoroughly disappointed in the man. Ranma and Akane were about ready to shout at Genma, but Jade beat them to it. With anger even greater than that of Akane's earlier that day Jade growled out, "you hurt Uncle! I am going to tear you apart"! Ranma quickly grabbed a hold of his student to make sure the kid didn't try to pick a fight with his father.
Soun quickly ran up to his friend with tears running down his face, and asked, "why Saotome, why?! Out of all the old men in the world, you had to pick a fight with him? You might've just ruined what chance I have at bonding with Jade, and getting in my sister's good graces"!
Ranma in confusion then asked, "what do you mean by that"?
With tears still streaming down his face Soun answered, "Uncle was the one who dropped Jade off at my house and is also responsible for taking Jade away if we prove to be a bad influence. I haven't seen my sister since she left Japan, and the two of them are too busy at their jobs for a quick visit. However, they trust Uncle's judge of character, and that old man can easily check up on his niece whenever he visits his Japanese shop. So if Uncle were to ever learn I am housing the man who knocked him unconscious I would be forced to kick the two of you out or let Uncle take Jade away".
Ranma grimaced at this, but Genma simply laughed and said, "No worries Tendo I will just leave for a couple of hours. Meanwhile, Ranma could snag whatever cure Uncle cooks up for the boy".
Yet before Genma could even grab his bag they heard the sounds of someone coming around the corner. Panicking the man ran straight into the Koi pond. Not a moment later Uncle walked around the corner and said, "Mr. Tendo you have a lovely house".
Soun quickly chimed in, "thank you Chan me and Kasumi try to always promote cleanliness and, ow". Uncle promptly smacked Soun with a two-finger strike halfway through the sentence.
Uncle said, "you didn't let Uncle finish. You have a nice house, but why is there a gaping hole in your wall? One more thing, why is there a panda splashing around in the Koi pond"?
Soun began to sweat buckets after hearing this, but Ranma have a half-baked excuse ready. "When Pops and I were going around China a panda relentlessly followed us all the way here. The Panda must have thought Pops was part of its herd or something. As a side note, my father went on a quick training trip before we knew you were coming and probably won't be back until after you return to America".
Uncle seemed to have bought it, "that makes sense. I think a panda followed a distant relative of mine halfway across Asia once. Although that doesn't explain the hole in the wall"?!
Ranma in a more casual tone calmly answered, "oh, that's an easy one. Akane broke the wall while pummeling some creep".
Akane punched her fiancé in annoyance for saying it like that. However, Uncle then asked, "is this true Akane"?
Akane reluctantly answered, "Yes, but, ow" just like her father and Ranma the old man cut her off mid-sentence with a two-finger strike.
The man from America as if he was scolding a child then said, "Akane there's no need to punch people stating the truth. Now then I take it you'll be fixing that wall unless your family has something like a professional in mind".
Ranma sensing Akane's rage building began backing away slowly. Jade and Nabiki were slack-jawed by the words Uncle used on Akane, as it's extremely rare for someone to scold the girl. The two fathers on the other hand were frightened that Akane's rage will put both families on Uncle's bad side. However, the youngest Tendo girl took a glance at Jade, and the two cursed victims and decided to take a deep breath.
With clenched teeth, Akane said, "fine, I will get started on fixing the wall after supper".
Coincidentally Kasumi peaked her head in and said "dinners ready"
Dinner
The oldest Tendo sister had outdone herself with dinner. There is roasted duck, an overabundance of rice, some fresh fish, and a wide assortment of side dishes. Add in the kimonos the sisters were wearing, and you would think they were housing royalty. This display definitely impressed Uncle, and maid Ranma and Jade embarrassed by the fact they were wearing their normal outfits.
Genma quickly made his way to the table. However, before the animal could sit down Ranma with a Cheshire grin pulled her father back, and said, "hold on fuzz ball, pets are not allowed at the dinner table. You have a nice pile of bamboo in your doggy bowl. If you're lucky, you can have a few scraps of what's left". The panda looked to the corner and realized the redhead wasn't joking.
The panda growled at the young Saotome for their comment, but after taking a glance at Uncle, the animal backed off. Dejectedly Genma walked to the corner and sadly began eating some of the bamboo stocks. Meanwhile, the rest of the family was preparing to eat.
It only took a single bite for Ranma's mouth to be in flavor town. All the food Kasumi produced has been in the top 100 meals Ranma has had in the past year, but this meal was at a completely different level. Uncle agreed with Ranma's thoughts with the next words he said. "My compliments to the chef. It has been ages since I had a meal this great! Even this tea is at the perfect temperature. If the normal meals around here are half as good as this Jade is eating better here than with her family or with me".
Soun immediately after hearing those words began crying tears of joy. Meanwhile Jade dropped her chopsticks in complete shock. The girl after a moment said, "wow, Kasumi you are a better cook than I thought! Uncle likes tea, but he's pickier than Goldilocks when it comes to how hot to serve his favorite drink. I have lived with the guy for over 6 months and I have never seen him be satisfied with his tea's temperature".
The old man promptly replied, "Uncle isn't picky with his tea. Uncle just has bad luck in finding people who know how to make tea properly".
The rest of the dinner was uneventful. Except for the fact the rest of the house occupants ate Genma's share of the food to the panda's horror. Once they were done eating the crowd split up. Akane Began preparing to fix the fence, Soun congratulated his oldest daughter in private, Nabiki went with Jade to help with her balance training, and Ranma and Uncle went to the dojo to run a few magic tests on the gender-changing martial artist.
One hour later, Dojo
A bored Ranma Saotome moaned out, "how much longer? I have been sitting here doing nothing while you stir and put stuff in those two cauldrons for the past hour".
Uncle promptly gave the redhead a two-finger strike on the forehead before replying, "do not rush the chi, Ranma. Having you around during the creation of the potions will make them more accurate. Besides, all I need now is a few fingernail clippings, and one long strand of hair".
Hearing this, Ranma excitedly began trimming her nails and cutting the needed hair. Uncle promptly put said ingredients into their respective cauldrons. The Chi wizard then pulled out a dried lizard, and a yellow blowfish before chanting the words, "Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao. Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao".
The left cauldron that had the hair let out one large bubble before going back to its dormant state. However, the right cauldron with the fingernail clippings had the exact opposite effect. The pot began to violently vibrate and began to bubble like a shaken-up soda can.
The potion soon began spewing hot fizz all around it. While Uncle was untouched, Ranma wasn't so lucky, as a decent chunk of the hot potion landed on her, changing them back to a man. With their hair growing at a rapid rate, and seeing the cauldron was about ready to explode the young Saotome quickly ran to the Koi pond. Meanwhile, the wizard began rapidly chanting Chinese words, while throwing powders into the cauldron in hopes of stopping the magic's violent reaction.
Seeing that the dojo was still standing the currently soaking wet female Ranma made their way inside the building, with at least 10 feet of hair dragging behind them. When the teenager opens the door they saw Uncle and the building was fine. Sure, bubbles dotted the entire room, but that could easily be cleaned up. The only real damage was the cauldron, as the metallic object was singed and cracked beyond use.
The redhead made their way to the old man and asked, "so what's the verdict"?
The Man from San Francisco exhaled and said, "I have good news and bad news. The bad news is the Jusenkyo curse is thoroughly melded to your being, and that the rumors of it being the hardest curse in all of Asia to cure was an understatement. The potions I made were meant to identify how difficult it would be to remove a curse, and the potion was not meant to have that violent of a reaction".
Ranma then shouted, "why on earth is a curse from some dumb spring so difficult to cure"?!
Uncle promptly answered, "the magic of Jusenkyo comes from the very earth itself, and its origins can be dated back to the last ice age. The transformative effects of the water are so potent they can even affect and replicate some devas and similar beings to a certain extent. Truth be told I would be more surprised if a Jusenkyo curse was easy to cure".
The old man continued by saying, "Jusenkyo curses also come with two additional smaller curses. The first of which is a water-attracting curse. If you want to stay as a girl, hot water will be drawn to you, but if you want to stay as a boy, it will be hard to walk around town without being splashed. Although, this water-attracting curse is more effective with cold water than hot if my research is accurate".
Ranma in remembrance muttered, "That explains so much! I can't go a few hours without getting hit with cold water, and I have been forced to change back into a guy at least twice within the past 24 hours".
The elder then continued, "the second side curse is designed to actively prevent you from finding a cure. If you were to find a cure misfortune will block your way, or you'll find yourself unable to reach your destinations somehow. Some even claim destiny and fate will prevent you from curing the Jusenkyo curse. Although, this secondary curse will not activate in locking the curse form, altering your transformation, or in response to temporary cures. However, when it comes to curing it the number of people who have successfully overcome the plight from the curse training ground in the past 300 years can be counted on one hand".
The redhead was saddened by this news. However, the martial artist's dejected look quickly disappeared with the next words Uncle said. "However, your other curse is practically on its last legs already. As far as I can tell the dragon's whisker used to curse you is near its expiration date, and will likely disappear on its own sometime between next week to two years from now. Although I suppose the quality of the dragon's whisker doesn't matter, as Uncle has learned a few methods of curing that curse. If I have some specific ingredients, I could even allow you to manipulate when your hair begins to grow rapidly as easily as turning off and on a light".
With a smile plastered onto Ranma's face, the boy-turned-girl grabbed onto the man's shoulders, and said, "let's hurry up and get this hair problem solved".
Uncle simply replied, "I'll get started on the counter spell right away, but first I'm going to need some of the fragments from the dragon's whisker".
Ranma's look didn't change when she said, "most of the pieces blew away, and I didn't think about grabbing any of it".
Uncle still with a calm look simply replied, "no problem. Hairs from both of your human parents can make for an excellent substitute".
Ranma let go of the man, and in a much more worried voice said, "I don't know what my mother even looks like, and my father in human form is probably the baldest man in Japan".
Uncle grabbed his chin and muttered, "if I have a piece of the dragon the whisker came from or one of its descendants I could..."
Ranma interrupted the Chinese-American's thought process by saying, "I don't know anything about the dragon the whisker came from. In fact, I didn't know dragons even existed until I came across the dragon's whisker".
Uncle then shouted out, "do you at least have something from an even stronger dragon? That way I can at the very least override the essence of a dragon's whisker with an even more powerful one"!?
Ranma shouted back, "did you hear what I just said, old man"?!
Uncle pinched his head in frustration, and said, "you're not making this easy on Uncle. luckily for you, a good chi wizard always comes prepared". Uncle reached into his bag of potion ingredients and pulled out a small jar with a long, green string inside of it.
The girl with a pile of hair took a closer look at the jar, and in recognition said, "you have a dragon's whisker?! Why didn't you say you had one sooner"?!
The Man from San Francisco shook his head, and replied, "I'm afraid this isn't a real dragon's whisker. This is an artificial dragon's whisker my master created. Master Fong suffered from baldness and searched for the dragon's whisker to get back his hair. His search proved unsuccessful, so he decided to make one from scratch. He successfully gave a Koi fish whisker the same hair-renewing abilities as the item he sought. Although, he passed away before he could have perfected his creation. This means the item I currently have will turn into a normal string the moment someone uses it, but until then it should work as a seal long enough for me to find a fifth method of curing your hair problem".
The two promptly cut Ranma's hair and tied it with the green string. The redhead scooped up some of the still-hot fizz dotting the dojo and poured it onto herself. Ranma felt the change in his body immediately and saw their hair change from red to black. However, no tingling occurred and his hair didn't grow a single centimeter. In joy, Ranma shouted, "normal hair man among men Ranma Saotome is back"!
After a few seconds Ranma verbalized a thought he just had, "if this thing is supposed to be an artificial dragon's whisker then should we use it to make that cure potion you were talking about"?
Uncle shook his head and said, "the artificial dragon's whisker is only meant to simulate the original hair growth properties, not act as a substitute for potions that require pieces of a dragon. Besides, I have no idea how my master created this magical item, to begin with so I can't create a bunch to experiment with".
Ranma in a casual tone said, "well I'm glad I kept the dragon's whisker a secret from Pops now".
As they were about to walk out the door Uncle said, "one more thing, before I forget, I brought some magical stuff to show you. I might not be able to cure your girl problem, but I can make it less stressful".
Family Room
Uncle was randomly going through each of his bags trying to find a specific item. This commotion draws the attention of the rest of the house occupants. By the time everyone arrived in the family room. Uncle said, "Hot-cha!" Then proceeded to throw a book at Ranma titled, "Uncle's Magic Catalog"
Turning through the pages Ranma saw pictures and advertisements for waterproof soap, magic hair dyes, quick-growing mung bean jars, and various other oddities. In confusion, Ranma asked, "how is this stuff supposed to help".
Uncle simply responded by saying, "I might not be able to cure your curse, but I have a few tricks up my sleeve to make it more manageable. Coincidentally the majority of which involves the few magical items I am willing to sell. All of which can be found in that catalog". After hearing this, the house occupants crowded around Ranma as they all scanned through the book.
Eventually, Ranma turned to a page that caught everyone's eyes, "Instant Jusenkyo". Reading the book revealed Instant Jusenkyo is a powder that can give any body of water when added, the same effects of the Jusenkyo in China. Even though the books said Uncle's Rare Finds normally only carries male and female instant Jusenkyo, it was still more than enough to convince the two Saotomes to give it a try. Without reading the rest of the article Ranma close the book and excitedly said, "I'll take some of that instant Nannīchuan, you sly chi wizard. If you had some instant Jusenkyo why didn't you say so sooner"?!
Uncle raised an eyebrow at this and said, "here I thought you would be asking for the waterproof soap first, but to his own, I guess. That would be $15".
The group simply responded with a, "what"?!
Seeing the confused looks on their faces Uncle rephrased his words, "that would be about ¥2200".
Nabiki was the first one to give a clear explanation of their astonishment, "how on earth is form-changing water so cheap"?!
Jade followed up this question by asking, "Uncle you normally produce counter spells for free? How come this time is so different"?
The old man simply replied, "I normally break curses for free, but when it comes to more daily use magic Uncle isn't running a charity. As for the price, brewing potions and magical elixirs are surprisingly cheap as long as you know what you're looking for, excluding one or two ingredients".
The young Saotome quickly pulled out his wallet for the needed cash and said, "that stuff could be worth 10 times as much, and I would still gladly buy it".
The chi wizard then handed Ranma two small packets and a small pamphlet. Ranma and all the others, except for Jade couldn't read the bottom of the packets, but the Japanese words on top were unmistakable. The two labels read "Instant Spring of Drowned Boy", and "Instant Spring of Drowned Girl" respectively. Meanwhile, the pamphlet was a thorough warning guide and acted as instructions on the magical items in front of them.
While the father and son duo hurriedly skimmed the pamphlet Jade said, "I guess this explains why you were selling bath powder in an antique store, and the looks of some of the people who bought the stuff". Immediately after Jade voiced her thoughts Ranma grabbed the boy's powder and dumped it all into the Koi pond and in a few seconds two men with long mustaches wearing green Namor-style speedos began to flounder in the water.
Everyone except for Uncle blinked in confusion. Nabiki then asked, "well, I guess this proves you are a wizard, but where did those speedos come from"?
The old man promptly answered, "after one, too many instances of animals turning into naked people, I added a basic clothing charm to the instant Jusenkyo I make".
Meanwhile, the two cursed victims were staring in shock at the miracle they just witnessed. After waiting for a few seconds to make sure it wasn't a dream the two Saotomes cannonballed into the Koi pond. After seeing Genma was now a human, and Ranma was still a boy in the cold water the two began crying tears of joy and both muttered, "I'm I'm not turning into a girl!" and "I'm not turning into a panda", respectively.
The two's joyful sobs were cut off when they heard someone holler, "mung bean thief, you will pay for what you have done". Turning around the Saotomes saw Uncle brandishing Kasumi's broom ready for a fight. He then swung his makeshift weapon at Genma, but the man nimbly dodged it by jumping into the air.
Safely on the grass, Genma said, "I don't want to hurt you, old man, you cured my curse after all. If you want, I am sure the boy can pay you back by marrying one of your grandnieces"?
The old man still looking angry, began to chuckle a little. With a look that promised pain, Uncle said, "you think I cured your curse? Then you must know I can turn you back into a panda just as easily as giving you a piece of Uncle".
Before the martial artist could ask how he was planning on doing this, Uncle dipped his blowfish into the pond, chanted some words in Chinese, and fired a chi blast from the fish in his hands. The bald man nearly dodged the attack as it flew straight by his head. Barely scratching his right ear.
Shocked looks appeared on the onlooker's faces. Although, Jade and Nabiki look like someone told them a joke as they tried to hold back their giggles. Genma in curiosity simply said, "what's so funny"? In response, Kasumi simply pointed at Mr. Saotome's reflection in the Koi pond. The man turned his head in the direction the girl was pointing and the image shocked him to his core. The man hurriedly touched the top of his head to make sure the image was true. Genma had sprouted, panda ears.
He was so surprised Genma wasn't able to avoid the next blast from Uncle. With a twinge of pain, the martial artist found a decent chunk of his but has been turned into a panda, tail included. Ranma's father growled in anger and quickly got into a serious fighting stance.
The chi wizard began to rapidly shoot out blasts, but the martial artist nimbly dodged them all. Genma speedily got close, knocked the broom out of the man's hands, and threw a punch, but Uncle redirected it. The same thing can be said about the second, third, fourth, and seventh punch the bald man through. The older of the two was being forced on the defensive and was barely managing to keep up with his opponent. However, the Chinese American was successfully preventing the master of the Saotome school from landing a good hit. Until the old man saw an opening and landed a devastating strike that forced the anything-goes practitioner back a few steps.
The Panda man experimentally moved his arm and grimaced. The girls couldn't tell anything was wrong, but Soun and Ranma have spent enough time with the man to understand when his arm movements are unusually stiff by the slightest of margins. Genma then vocalized the three's thoughts, "so you're not just a wizard, you're a martial artist that specializes in pressure points"?
The old man smirked and threw heavy breaths he said, "I practice martial arts in my younger days. In fact, if I were in my prime I wouldn't need my blowfish to give you a piece of Uncle".
Genma try the same tactic again, but this time he was more careful with any potential counterattack from Uncle's fist. However, the blowfish firing quickly reminded the man he was fighting a wizard. This time it was his leg that turned into a panda. Genma off-balance received two more painful blasts. Turning his second leg in his right arm into that of a panda.
Ranma's father seeing his normal tricks weren't working decided to try something more unorthodox. He began running around his opponent in circles, then quickly rushing forward to launch some attacks, but then after two punches or kicks he backed away. Under normal circumstances, the strategy with only tire him out, but all the martial artists and Jade figured out what the guy was planning.
Uncle had the range advantage and could hold his own in close quarters. However, Genma was able to avoid all of Uncle's attacks as long as he doesn't stay within arms range for too long. On top of this, it was evident the partially transformed panda was physically stronger and could outlast the old man if he forced the wizard to keep up his martial art defenses for too long.
This prediction came to pass as Genma Started to land minor hits against the man from America in Increasing succession. However, Jade's relative proved to be too smart to fall for this strategy. As he lured Ranma's father into tripping over his outstretched leg. Capitalizing on this opportunity Uncle fired another chi blast. However, the man with gray hair mist fired and hit his opponent's right leg. Turning his leg back to that of a human.
Uncle was quick enough to capitalize on this misstep and successfully managed to land a few quick strikes onto Genma's right arm. leaving it completely immobile. However, this didn't stop the sandwich thief from backing away and proudly proclaiming, "So if one of those blasts hits a Panda limb it turns back to normal. If I would've known that I would have knocked you out a long time ago. With how exhausted you are you might as well give up now, old man".
The wizard smirked and replied, "you're getting ahead of yourself Mr. panda. You have taken more damage than me, and by the looks of things you will be forced to fight with one arm tight behind your back. It's best to give up now boy". These words seem to have made Genma angrier than Uncle expected, and their battle started anew.
Meanwhile, Ranma after he was done wringing out his shirt sat beside Jade and asked her, "does your Uncle likes to pick fights or something"?
Jade simply replied, "Only when he's alone to deal with thieves. Does your father like to pick fights with old men a lot"?
Ranma shook his head and said, "normally no. I only have seen him get this intense in a brawl during heated sparring sessions, or when we are surrounded by debt collectors. My guess the two just like to press each other's buttons. Anyway, are you thinking what I'm thinking"?
Jade gave a knowing smirk, and the two began cheering for Uncle, to Genma's frustration. In fact, this distracted Ranma's father long enough for the wizard to turn the man's head into that of a panda.
They continued their cheering until they heard a loud cracking sound. looking around they saw one of Uncle's chi blasts had hit a tree branch, and it was about ready to fall. To make matters worse. The two combatants were so caught up in their fight they didn't realize Uncle was now standing underneath the tree, and were unaware of the danger the old man was in. Ranma quickly ran to the two fighters, kicked his father away, and shoved his friend's relative out of danger at the last possible second.
When Uncle regained his bearings, he saw the massive tree limb on the ground and quickly realized what had happened. However, it was Ranma who spoke up first, "could you two stop fighting, before you destroy the house?! Is there any possible way my dad can make it up to you for destroying your shop?
Uncle held his chin and said, "I suppose a panda could be used for some great advertising. Plus, there is a lot of heavy stuff that needs to be carried in and out of storage. Now that I think about it there are a few dangerous errands that need to be done sometime".
Genma looked like he was about to pull out a sign to complain, but a discrete elbow nudge from Ranma stopped him. To make sure his father got the point Ranma whispered, "you do realize if you complain or make the wizard angry there is a chance Uncle could cast a spell to lock our curses or convince Soun to kick us out"?!
With those words, Genma pulled out a sign that read, [I will gladly work for you until I pay off my debt, on one condition. You turn me back to normal right now].
Uncle scoffed, and said, "glad you're finally seeing it my way. Now all you have to do to return to normal is jump in the pond. Considering those Koi fish-turned-men are still floundering around the instant Jusenkyo should still be in effect".
Genma immediately ran to the water to return to normal. However, before any of them could ask for more details on what Uncle just said the man spoke again. "One more thing, I need Ranma, Genma, and Akane to help me carry my bags to my shop. I want to get started on fixing my door before nightfall, and I am in no mood to get another cad".
Soun hearing nothing about Jade blurted out, "what about my niece? Aren't you going to take Jade away since I am housing the guy who just attacked you"?
The old man simply rose an eyebrow and confusedly answered, "why would I take Jade away? Sure if you were housing Genma alone I probably would. But I think Ranma is a wonderful influence on Jade. She has been talking great things about him a lot on the phone, and he proved it by saving me. Now get to work, those bags won't move themselves"!
The next day, Tenod's house.
It was a normal rainy day in Japan, and for Ranma, it was as if yesterday's events never occurred. One moment the martial artist was into a very intense workout session outside, the next he was standing in a sudden downpour with fun bags and red hair.
The angry redhead marched into the house in search of hot water, but the site in front of her stopped Ranma in her tracks. Uncle was drinking a hot cup of tea. Ranma was flabbergasted by the site, but still manage to get out the words, "what are you doing here"?
The old man after taking a good sip of his tea calmly answered, "enjoying a nice cup of tea. I have been around the world, and there are surprisingly very few places that can get the tea temperature just right".
Ranma quickly clarified her answer, "no, what I meant was why are you here drinking tea instead of being on a flight back to the states".
Uncle slightly more irritated replied. "there are three main reasons why I'm staying in Nerima for a while. The first is that I need to make sure your father keeps his end of the promise and I find a good long-term employee for my Japanese shop. The next is that I may trust you, but I will stick around to make sure Jade didn't pick up your father's bad habits. Lastly, I forgot to tell you yesterday that there are legends about potential magical artifacts that could cure certain Jusenkyo curses".
Ranma angrily blurted out, "so you knew the instant Jusenkyo was temporary?! why didn't you tell me? I want my money back"!
At that moment, Uncle gave Ranma a two-finger slap on the forehead, and shouted out, "it said, temporary in the book and pamphlet I gave you! I even listed what would happen when it comes into contact with a Jusenkyo curse! You should have figured it out when those men turned back into fish! Just for not reading it, I won't sell you any more enchanted goods from the catalog for a while. The magic I sell might be about as dangerous as laundry detergent, but if you don't read the instructions properly then that's a completely different story".
Ranma rubbed her head from the pain before replying, "yeah, yeah, I get it. Read the instructions before messing with magic. Now tell me about those potential cures, and I would like to buy some more instant Nannīchuan".
Uncle immediately gave him another of his signature slaps before angrily shouting, "what did I say about not selling you anything magical for a long time? This extends to your father until he pays off his debt to me"!
Ranma shouted back "it's not for me or Pops! It's for a friend I owe a lot to"!
Uncle raised an eyebrow at this, and the redhead elaborated. "I accidentally got a friend of mine cursed to turn into a pig at Jusenkyo. So I figured if I could make the guy's curse a little more bearable, I will gladly spend every cent I have".
Uncle smiled at this and replied, "in that case, we can do some business". The old man and the youngest Saotome began to have a long-winded discussion on potential payment plans for Ryoga's instant Jusenkyo, and about some of the legends Uncle found that could interest Ranma.
The pigtail martial artist might not like the finger strikes Uncle gives, but the man's definitely in Ranma's good books. The Chinese American man can get on Ranma's nerves without question, but every time he presses the teenager's buttons Uncle finds two ways to make up for it. Besides having a wizard around that can scold his father and Akane would be a joy to have around. It's not like he will run into any new magical stuff after the year he's had, right?
Undisclosed skyscraper, in Tokyo
Several brutish thugs were moving boxes all along the skyscraper. From a single glance, one could tell that each of the men came from a different corner of the world. However, the majority of the newer members looked Japanese. Conversely, most of the higher brass was from America.
While the lower floors were bustling with men carrying items of unknown origin, a lone man stood on the highest level of the building, dressed in a green suit. looking at the screens on his desk the man spoke. "I had multiple lucrative deals in San Francisco, so care to explain again why I had to switch my main base of operations to the other end of the Pacific"?
The dragon statue behind him eyes glowed red, and in a very sinister tone replied, "I insure you Valmont that I might not know the exact location of all 12 of my talismans, but I can sense almost half of them are in this country. Moving your base here will save us both considerable time".
Valmont in a calm voice retorted, "it's only reasonable that I will be a skeptic Shendu. Moving my base to a different country and spending a small fortune on an artifact hunt for a treasure that may not even exist is a little ridiculous"
Shendu as confident as ever simply replied, "oh, we have a skeptic"? At that moment a man wearing all black stepped out from the shadows, with a golden chalice filled with rubies. The man in green was completely entranced, but before he can so much as reach for it the ninja-like man disappeared into the shadows. The statue then continued speaking, "When, and *only* when, your men acquire all twelve Talismans, the lost Treasure of Ching Xi Hung shall cover your 'expenses' ten thousand times over."
Valmont in a much more eager tone said, "luckily, for the both of us then that I have already got a lead on one of your talismans". At that moment, three thugs walked into the room.
When the three got close enough Valmont said, "perfect timing gentlemen I got your next assignment ready. I want you to steal the ribbon of Kodachi Kuno". To emphasize his message, the man pulled out a newspaper with the woman's picture in it.
The redhead wearing a white 70's jacket asked, "you want us to steal gymnastics equipment from a teenage girl Big-V"?
Valmont rolled his eyes and elaborated. "remember that talisman you three failed to get? Well, it's part of a set of 12, and based on this girl's winning streak and the stone hexagon inside the ribbon, I am led to believe that one of the talismans is inside of it".
The redhead smirked, and said, "now I see what you're cooking up boss man. Me and the boys will run to her place and get that ribbon no problem".
Valmont simply shook his head, and said, "I am afraid that strategy won't work this time. Kodachi if my informants are accurate lives in a highly secure mansion, and is a highly skilled martial artist. On top of this, I don't want law enforcement to learn we left the states, so we need to be as subtle as possible. My plan is that you three will take the ribbon from Kodachi after her next match, 10 days from now. With her exhausted, you three can take the ribbon from her hands before too many witnesses show up. We get the talisman, and Section 13 remains in the dark about our operations".
End of Chapter Notes
This chapter marks Uncle's introduction to the cast and the beginnings of the talisman saga. I hope you all enjoyed it, and this chapter was worth the wait.
As a side note if you want to contribute to the story I would suggest recommending some talisman locations. I already have locations in mind for the majority of the talismans but I am open to suggestions.
Reviews:
1.)Ramos-It is true that Uncle didn't have a permanent cure for the curse at the moment. However, don't underestimate the old man. Sure in terms of martial arts or a normal fight he is no match for Cologne, but the exact opposite is true when it comes to a magical duel. Cologne might know a few magic tricks and have a few mystical artifacts, but she is no wizard and doesn't have anywhere near the magical accomplishments of Uncle.
2.)Negortin- I'll keep up the good work, and I hope you enjoy the talisman saga.
3.)Djinn- Thank you, and what can I say I couldn't think of a single reason to let this little piggy go free without an Akane-style punishment.
Next time: Ranma and Akane get roped into a martial arts rhythmic gymnastics match. However, their opponent is skilled and willing to cheat. To make matters worse this Kuno has a magic trick up her sleeve. Can our heroes defeat the black rose? Find out next time!
Lastly: I'm not sure when chapter 9 will come out. At the earliest, the chapter will come out on Earth Day. At the latest, it'll come out in early May.