Episode #27:

"What is…THE BREAKING POINT?!
Ryoga Strikes Back!"

FEATURING THE VOICES OF:

JOHN BURGMEIER as Ranma
MEREDITH McCOY as Ranko
JUSTIN COOK as Kenma
JOHN SWASEY as Genma
KARA EDWARDS as Akane
SEAN TEAGUE as Ryoga
WENDY POWELL as Cologne
LUCI CHRISTIAN as Shampoo
ERIC V. JOHNSON as Jinn

AUTHOR'S NOTE: In hindsight, we realize Ranko barely appeared in these episodes, and for this we humbly apologize. Next episode, we promise she'll appear. Pinky-swear!

"Are you watching, boy?" asked Cologne as she tapped the pieces of the split boulder. Suddenly, as the boulder halves quaked, they both exploded into pebbles, sending them flying.

"...whoa..." gaped Ryoga.

"You know, even Genghis Khan feared this secret technique," explained Cologne. "Just a way of saying how powerful the Bakusai Tenketsu—Breaking Point—truly is."

" 'Breaking Point'?" asked Akane.

Ryoga leaned forward. "So if I master this technique, I can crush Ranma?" he asked hopefully.

Cologne chuckled. The fish had taken the bait. "So, shall I teach it to you?" she replied.

"Please, old woman!" Ryoga pleaded. "If this helps me defeat Ranma, I'll do anything! You HAVE to teach me!"

"Very well, then. Your training begins tomorrow morning," the Amazon elder stated.

Ryoga nodded, before a wicked smile crossed his face. Just wait and see, Ranma…when I have mastered this technique, I'll have you begging for mercy…and then once you're dead, your stupid brother will join you in Hell!

title card

"What is…THE BREAKING POINT?!
Ryoga Strikes Back!"

The next morning, Kenma and Ranma were up bright and early, and hard at work sparring with one another as they jumped through the trees. While doing so, they were like greased lightning, clashing against each other like comets!

Trading blow after blow, they collided over and over again until they each leapt to a spare branch. As their dual assaults ceased, both boys were panting in mild exhaustion.

"Ya know, Ken, I think you've gotten even faster." Ranma observed.

"Really now?" queried Kenma. "Must've been impressive, since I couldn't even tell!"

"See? You're so fast that ya can't even keep up with yourself." his brother assured.

Kenma couldn't help but smile at that. "Wow…that's actually pretty amazing!" he remarked. "If we keep goin' at this rate, Ryoga won't stand a ghost of a chance!"

"I wouldn't get so cocky, boy!" called an all-too-familiar voice from below. Glancing down from the tree branches they stood atop, Ranma and Kenma spotted Genma, who had just emerged from the bushes nearby.

"Oh! Good morning, Pop. Where've ya been all this time while Kenma and I were hard at work?" Ranma asked with a smug side glance.

Genma crossed his arms. "I was busy performing reconnaissance," he replied. "Know thine enemy, and know thyself; that's a prime tenement of the Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts!"

"...so in other words, you were snooping," said Ranma.

"As usual, I see!" Kenma chimed in.

"When you put it like that, it sounds downright underhanded." the Saotome patriarch tried to sugarcoat things.

"Like you'd do it any other way!" Kenma responded.

"Well, don't put yourself out," shrugged Ranma with a smug smile. "I got what it takes to kick Ryoga's ass up and down the street five times over!"

"If you're so certain of yourself, then..." said Genma as he took out a shovel and began to dig a hole.

"And just what are you doing now?" Kenma inquired.

"I may as well dig your graves, boys," replied Genma. "It might be the last thing I do for you as your father."

"GEE, THANKS FOR THE VOTE OF CONFIDENCE!" Kenma snapped.

"It's good to know that you have sooo much faith in your sons!" Ranma chimed in, very sarcastically.

An uncharacteristically serious look came over Genma's face. "Ranma! Kenma! As we speak, your opponent is training in the dreaded 'Breaking Point' technique!" he declared.

"Just what, pray tell, is that?" asked Ranma.

"Everything in nature has its own breaking point," explained Genma. "Whether it be frogs, water bugs, crickets… even the human body."

"So then what's the breakin' point for that?" asked Kenma.

"FOOLISH BOY!" spat Genma. "If we knew THAT, the technique would be OURS! Anyways…I saw him practicing the technique with my own eyes. To say it was utterly terrifying would be a true understatement."

Ranma just stood in silence, blinking. "So you don't even know what it is, yet you expect us to be afraid of it."

"Hey, I just got an idea," replied Kenma. "What if we avoid this breaking point thing, and we break his fingers? Can't break us without fingers!"

"Well, that's a bit barbaric, isn't it?" Genma asked.

"Ryoga's out for blood here," stated Kenma. "We certainly can't GIVE him the chance to collect."

"It's only natural that we be as ruthless as he is." Ranma added.

"But breaking the boy's fingers? That seems like it's going a little too far," their father protested.

"Are you serious about that? Coming from the fatass who went too far training us when we were kids?!" Kenma snapped at Genma at that, remembering all the times the old man went too far in training his sons.

"I wouldn't say I went too far in your training, in fact, I'd say I was being too kind." Genma bluffed as he tried to defend himself.

"The Neko-ken begs to differ on your so-called 'kindness'!" Ranma retorted, referring to the horrible event he'd suffered through when he was six…after all, he had nightmares about demon cats and cats in general for over a decade.

"You're still going on about that?" Genma asked, as though Ranma were bringing up some minor incident that had occurred the previous week.

"YES, I'm still on about the traumatic incident that gave me a crippling fear of cats when I was little!" Ranma snapped.

"Alright, alright! I get your point!" the bespectacled degenerate pleaded.

"Oh, DO YA?! Because sometimes I wonder!" the older Saotome brother yelled again, spitting a few drops of saliva on his father's face.

After that relentless harangue, Ranma's head shrunk back to normal size and he cleared his throat before speaking again. "Anyways, Kenma and I still have plenty of training to do, and it's no good wasting precious hours squabbling."

"Yes, but before you two get back into it…" Genma then donned a Beekeeper's veil and helmet, along with a pair of gloves. "Catch!" he commanded as he released a swarm of Hornets at the boys.

"Ah! What the fuck?!" Ranma blurted out as he ran away from the flying terrors.

"You caught a fucking hornet's nest?!" Kenma screamed as he ran alongside his brother.

"More like I found one, and this is an important part of your training! If you can sting these hornets before they sting you, you can dodge the Breaking Point!" Genma smirked before he got hit in the head with a frying pan by one of his sons throwing it at him.

"How's that for precision?!" Ranma taunted before getting stung in the butt by one of the hornets. "Ouch!"

"YEE-OUCH!" Kenma shrieked as he got stung in the elbows. "DOUBLE-YEEOWCH! AH-HOO-EE!"

Genma looked on and shrugged his shoulders as his sons were bombarded with sting after sting. "...well, repeat as needed, I guess," he remarked.

By the end of it, both boys were covered in hornet stings, although Kenma's eyes were swollen shut from his stings.

"Hate you…hate you so much!" Ranma said with his cheeks completely swollen over.

"Guh…I can't see a thing…" Kenma groaned, his eyelids covered in itchy red lumps.

"Jinn, could ya be a pal and get us some Calamine Lotion?" The ponytailed boy beseeched the genie as he appeared right before his eyes.

"Comin' right up," Jinn replied with a nod of his head, summoning a bottle of the stuff along with some cotton balls to apply it with.

Later that evening…

Ryoga let out a scream of pure agony as he hit the ground with a THWAM! His body was riddled with bruises and cuts he'd earned from his painful training.

"Ryoga, what happened?!" Akane said she rushed to his aid.

Shampoo looked down over the fallen lost boy. "Looks like he fall down, go BOOM!" she exclaimed the last word especially loud.

"Tsk-tsk-tsk…I told that foolhardy boy to look with his MIND'S EYE, not his physical eye!" Cologne chastised.

"Don't you think he's had enough for one day?" asked Akane.

Cologne raised a wrinkled eyebrow. "You care quite a bit about Ryoga, I see," she observed. "Could it be that you've got eyes for him instead of that other boy you're seeing?"

"W-what?! That's ridiculous!" the tomboy protested.

"Hey…!" grunted Ryoga; his voice was hoarse and wheezy, but it was still clear enough to be heard. "Old woman…keep outta things…that aren't your business…!"

Then, to everyone's surprise, the bandana-clad boy pulled himself to his feet.

"The only thing…on my mind…is the look on Ranma's face…" he continued. "...when I put my hand…through his chest!"

As his eyes flashed, a visual ran through his mind.

In a fiery area, he and Ranma were battling with each other, before he suddenly rammed his hand straight through the ponytailed boy's chest.

G-CHOK!

Ranma's eyes became glassy, as he stared down at Ryoga's blood-drenched arm jutting through his midsection. He tried to speak up, but all he could muster was a single agonized gasp as he coughed up a splatter of blood that dribbled down his chin.

Soon, his body went limp, and slid off Ryoga's now blood-drenched arm as it fell to the ground.

Looking up from the corpse, Ryoga now stood tall with a demonic smile on his face, and his eyes glowing red. With a shout of "BASTARD!", Kenma lunged at Ryoga, who effortlessly dodged his tail-strikes, never once losing that fiendish smile, before he grabbed Kenma by the tail, spun him in the air, and slammed him face-first to the ground.

As Kenma struggled to get up, Ryoga suddenly ripped his tail right out, like he was uprooting a carrot. The monkey boy let out a scream of horrible pain as the former spot where his tail had been was now a bloody stump.

Struggling to his feet, Kenma readied his fists, and launched himself at Ryoga, who then blocked each of his blows…and seemed to disappear.

Eh? Where'd he go? Kenma's eyes darted around, as sweat beaded on his forehead.

"What's the matter, can't find me?" Ryoga's voice echoed from all sides.

The next thing Kenma knew, Ryoga was right behind him, and his hands were on the sides of his head. "Don't worry…I've found you~" he hissed into his ear.

Before Kenma could shapeshift into something to escape, Ryoga gave a sharp twisting motion, which was followed by a sickening K-K-K-KRAK!

Kenma's body fell to the ground, his eyes wide, his neck twisted and his fingers twitching.

Standing proudly over his next victim, Ryoga tied Kenma's tail to his belt loop, having it serve as some sort of twisted trophy, and began to chuckle…and the chuckle soon built up into a laugh of wicked glee that seemed to echo into the beyond, ringing out for all to hear.

"Ryoga? Ryoga?" asked Akane, while Ryoga seemed to be lost in thought with a wicked smile on his face and a faraway look in his eyes.

"Well, I'll say this much for the boy—he's focused on his goals," Cologne commented.

.......................................

Meanwhile, on the other side of the woods, Ranma and Kenma had decided to give it another shot when it came to dodging and/or swatting the hornets. And because they were more aware of what was going on this time, they had more of an advantage.

Whilst the boys were going at it, Genma was cooking up some stew. He scooped out a spoonful and sampled some.

"Don't overdo it, okay, boys?" he called out.

This time, the boys had gotten more of the hornets, although the remaining ones still managed to land plenty of stings upon them.

I don't care WHAT sorta secret techniques they got, thought Ranma, panting heavily as he was covered in hornet stings. Ryoga's goin' down—just like always!

"You better not eat all the food again!" Kenma shouted at his father who made the food for them all.

"Would you truly believe I would?" Genma innocently asked at the accusation.

"In a heartbeat, ya jerk!" Ranma spat back immediately.

Back with Ryoga, he was still training to perform the Breaking Point Technique with Cologne as Shampoo was doing her makeup.

Once more, he had been tied into his makeshift rope harness, and all his fingers save for the indexes had been taped down to his hand.

"OK! Any time, old lady!" Ryoga called.

Cologne gave a small nod. "Right then…get ready!" she called, before using her cane to push away from the tree she was suspended in front of, then sending the boulder swinging towards Ryoga like a pendulum.

The directionally-challenged boy shut his eyes and concentrated. Not with your eyes, but with the mind's eye…see with your heart…

The moment the boulder came near him, Ryoga began to jab at it rapidly with his finger, peppering its surface with a seemingly endless volley of finger-imprints!

Finally, when he was done, he withdrew his lone finger.

Cologne clucked her tongue in mild dismay. "Nice try, sonny jim," she remarked. "But that didn't even crack it, let alone shatter. You've got other things on the brain, don't you?"

Ryoga snarled in frustration. "Oh, for the love of—I told you!" he shouted. "The only thing on my mind is killing Ranma!"

Cologne glanced down at the boulder's surface, upon which Ryoga had carved an imprint picture of himself and Akane in a passionate embrace of the smoochin' kind, while standing over the freshly killed corpses of Ranma, Kenma, and Akimitsu.

"...okay, I can explain," Ryoga sheepishly said once he realized what he carved onto the boulder.

"Hey, Ryoga!" called Akane as she returned to the campsite. "Dinner's ready!"

Quickly, Ryoga struggled to hide the little picture he'd made. "R-really? Alright, Akane, I'll be down in a bit~!" he replied with a nervous chuckle.

Cologne leapt down from the boulder and landed in front of Akane. "Well, then, it's a good thing I came prepared," she said. "C'mon, Shampoo; we're going fishing."

"Should be fun," smiled the purple-haired Amazon as she followed behind her great-grandmother. "Maybe I'll make my own spear this time!"

"That's my granddaughter!" the Amazon elder said proudly as she led on.

A little while later…

Cologne let out a contented sigh while Shampoo sat nearby, nibbling at the fish she'd caught, and then helped clean and prepare.

"Nothing like catching your own dinner," she commented before turning to Akane. "So, how's your stew coming along?"

"Hm? Oh, fine," replied Akane as she took a spoonful and sipped it. Once the taste hit her tongue, her eyes shot wide open, and she spat it out as fast as she could. "Ugh! That's horrible!"

"Trouble in the culinary area?" Cologne inquired casually.

"I must've made another mistake somewhere," Akane responded, gazing at her stew. However, only seconds later, she was smiling. "That's okay. Unlike Ranma, Ryoga actually likes the taste of my cooking."

"I wouldn't be so quick to take his word on that sort of thing," said Cologne. "After all, considering how often he gets lost, chances are he doesn't exactly have what some would call a 'discerning palate'."

Akane blanched visibly at that.

"Here I thought you were learning how to improve your cooking skills," the old woman said.

"Wait, how did you know about that?" inquired Akane.

"In small towns, word travels quickly," responded Cologne. "Anyways, from what I heard, you've started seeing that boy with the hockey mask...Akimitsu, was it?"

Akane nodded.

"Good, I got it right," Cologne continued. "Speaking of which, you don't think Akimitsu might get jealous that you're being so attentive to Ryoga like this?"

"Why would he need to be jealous?" asked Akane. "Ryoga's just a good friend!"

The Joketsuzoku elder blanched visibly. Was this girl's skull as thick as her thighs? Nobody, not even Mousse, could be this dense!

"...if he's only a good friend, why are you dedicating all this time towards cooking for him and being his nursemaid?" asked Cologne.

"I'm only out in the asscrack between civilization because my father forced me to go along and cook for Ranma," Akane remarked. "And he confiscated my phone, so I can't talk to Aki. So I may as well do something with this unwanted free time, because I refuse to spend it practicing to be Ranma's bride!"

Cologne listened in silence. "So you're not doing this because you actually have feelings for Ryoga, then?" she inquired.

"Of COURSE not!" Akane replied. "I only think of Ryoga as a friend anyway, and I'm only out here doing this because I'm mad at Ranma for only criticizing instead of giving advice, and I'm mad at Dad for making me come out here! It's vacation week, for Kami's sake!"

Shampoo gave a titter.

Akane rounded on her almost immediately. "What's so funny, huh?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing~" smirked Shampoo in that catlike manner she was so familiar with. "...except for the little fact that mister lost-boy has a big-big crush on you!"

"He does?" the tomboy asked in utter bewilderment.

"Come on, you mean you didn't know?" asked Shampoo, her face becoming surprised.

"N-no, I didn't." Akane admitted.

"I'm surprised you missed that until now," commented Shampoo. "I mean…he was not subtle. You could see the signals from space."

So THAT'S why he loves my cooking so much… the tomboy thought and it annoyed her greatly. He's just been kissing up to me all this time!

"

I don't mean to make waves," shrugged Shampoo. "I just thought that you deserved to know."

Cologne gasped. "Quiet for a moment, you two! I sense an enormous battle aura!"

Shampoo's head perked up. "I sense it too!" she exclaimed, and she and Cologne made their way over to find it.

As Ryoga continued to concentrate, his entire body was surrounded with a blue glow.

Shutting his eyes, he remembered to visualize his target: the boulder.

…see with the mind…not with the eyes…

Suddenly, his eyes shot open. "...I feel it!" he exclaimed, pushing himself forward.

"BAKUSAI TENKETSU…!" he shouted, jabbing his finger right into the center of the boulder.

This time, it shone with a blue energy as it exploded into rubble!

Akane, Shampoo, and Cologne were all absolutely stunned…and so was Ryoga.

He gazed down at his index fingers…and then he began to chuckle darkly. Soon, he threw back his head and laughed uproariously.

"YES! This is perfect!" he crowed. "It's even better than I'd hoped to imagine! Oh, Ranma…your hours are numbered~"

Back over at the main campsite, long after Genma had gone to sleep, Ranma and Kenma lurched into the "hornet training trial" one last time. This time, they finally succeeded in squishing the flying terrors.

"We did it, Ken!" Ranma said as he caught his breath.

"Damn right we did!" Kenma replied confidently. "Ryoga doesn't stand a chance!"

"He's never gonna know what hit 'im!" Ranma and Ryoga both said at the same time, determination clear in their voices.

While the lost boy laughed maniacally, the brothers gave each other a fist bump.

...

The next day, the sun rose beautifully over the horizon. While everyone else was sleeping, Ryoga was seated atop a ledge, gazing out as he watched the sun.

Of course this goes without saying, but you and your brother are finished, Ranma! he thought to himself. By 11:30, you'll be on your knees begging for mercy, and by 12? Well…you just won't be.

Akane was tossing and turning in her sleep as per usual, until being whisked away, barely even awake.

And so, the stage had been set for the fight. Akane soon dangled from a rope tied to a tree branch, looking almost like she was filling in for a pinata.

"Come on! What's the idea of making me the big prize?!" she shouted.

"Well, I couldn't use my great-granddaughter as the prize," Cologne stated.

"Only person I'd let tie me up is Kenma, or Nabiki that one time." Shampoo proudly stated before she got weird looks from everyone and a huge blush from Kenma. "I mean…uh…"

"I'm…going to ignore that," Ranma said before locking eyes with Ryoga.

"I've been waiting a long time for this, Ranma!" the lost boy stated.

"Ah, now I get it. You sided with the ol' ghoul so you could have Akane all to yourself after I'm out of the way!" the older Saotome brother realized.

"But you didn't count on the fact Akane doesn't like you like that!" Kenma added on.

"Make no mistake, Ranma. My main goal is to kill you and your brother, understand?" exclaimed Ryoga.

"Oh, Ryoga. It's adorable that you think either one of us is gonna let you go through with that." the ponytailed boy said defiantly.

"It's not a matter of who's going to let me, it's a matter of who's going to stop me." the lost boy retorted.

"Well, then we'll just see about that, WON'T we?" Kenma remarked.

Ryoga growled as he began to make a beeline towards both boys. "Ready or not, here I come!"

"Bring it on, Porky!" Ranma shouted as he and Kenma ran at Ryoga.

And thus…the showdown has begun!

We'll be right back!

And now, back to our show!

Ryoga started his assault by jabbing his finger at Ranma who promptly blocked each strike.

"So this is the result of your fierce training, huh?" Ranma asked while blocking the strikes. "Gotta say—not impressed!"" he said as he weaved to the side and kicked Ryoga in the back, sending the lost boy sprawling to the ground.

"Hey, up and at 'em!" Kenma called. "No sense in lying down on the job!"

Ryoga caught himself and sprung back up onto his feet. "Pretty soon you two aren't gonna be so cocky! YAH!" he roared as he plunged his digit into the ground, causing it to burst into rock pellets.

"Watch those fingers, man!" Kenma said as he weaved and darted out of Ryoga's reach. "Who knows where they've been, really?"

The older Saotome brother caught the flying debris as quick as a flash. "Come on, is that really all you got?"

The lost boy growled in anger and continued his relentless onslaught, making more and more craters.

"Why did Ryoga go through all the trouble of learning this technique?" Akane thought as she dangled from the rope. "Everytime he uses it, he's always in the center of the blast getting hit by the debris. Meanwhile the boys aren't taking any damage at all." She observed.

"They'll soon know the true terror of the Bakusai Tenketsu," Cologne said to herself. "All in good time…"

"Why don't ya give it up, Ryoga? That technique's hurtin' you a lot more than me." Ranma said while blocking another flurry of finger jabs.

"Yeah, you some kinda glutton for punishment?" asked Kenma.

"I'm gonna shut you both up once and for all!" Ryoga snarled.

"Guess we'll just have to put outta your misery!" The ponytailed boy retorted as he sidestepped and kicked Ryoga in the side of the head, sending him flying into a rock formation.

With a shout, Kenma flung his hands out and fired a double-header energy blast that sent the formation crumbling down atop the lost boy.

"Hah! Too easy!" Ranma gloated as he brushed off his shoulder.

"Boo-yah!" Kenma exclaimed. "That little scrap got me hungry! Who's for cheeseburgers and shakes, eh?"

"Preachin' to the choir on that one, Ken!" Ranma agreed.

Suddenly, the ground began to crack under their feet before it exploded, prompting both boys to leap into the air to avoid it…and they ended up atop Akane, clinging to the rope.

As they regained their bearings, they could clearly see Ryoga standing amidst the debris, laughing like an absolute madman.

"YOU CALL THAT A KICK, RANMA?!" he shouted. "IT FELT LIKE I WAS BEING SLAPPED BY A BABY!"

"Are you on tranquilizers or something?!" Ranma spat. "I kicked you into a rock formation, and Kenma buried you under it!"

"That was enough to crack open that empty head of yours!" Kenma chimed in.

"So all those lumps Ryoga was taking were to improve his durability…!" Akane realized.

"Well, son-in-law, have you any final moves to stop Ryoga?" asked Cologne.

"You bet I do!" Kenma remarked.

"Oh, I'm so sure; all you practiced was running away!" retorted Akane.

Kenma glowered. "I will cut this rope and let you drop like a stone, you know that, right?" he asked.

"You two better not lose," Akane remarked. "I'm the big prize, remember?"

"More like a booby—or lacking boobies thereof—prize!" Kenma retorted.

"Akane, don't flatter yourself. You're about the farthest thing from a prize that I can think of." Ranma chuckled.

Akane scowled. "If you lose, Ryoga and I will end up together!"

"Well, then it's Akimitsu who loses in that case, isn't it?" Kenma replied. "Unless, of course, you're gonna throw him aside for mister lost-boy!"

"Alright, enough small talk." Cologne as she cut the rope. "Ryoga's probably getting antsy."

And once the rope was cut, the three began falling. Kenma was quick to catch his brother in his arms and in turn, let Akane fall.

"Hey! What about me?!" the tomboy asked angrily.

"What about you?" retorted Kenma as he flipped Akane off. "I ain't your keeper!"

So Akane fell on her butt, while Kenma landed on the ground and set Ranma down gently. "You okay, bro?" he asked. "You didn't get scraped or nuthin', didja?"

"I'm alright. Fit as a fiddle!" his brother reassured.

"Good, couldn't stand it if something happened to you," Kenma nodded. "Now, I'm gonna really give it to porky."

"We're not finished yet!" the lost boy declared as he charged at the boys, ready to deliver another finger jab.

"Ka-me…" Kenma began as he cupped his hands, and drew them to his side. "...ha-me…" Within seconds, a ball of ki began forming…and then he shot his hands forward. "...HA!"

Ryoga barely had a second to block before he found himself completely engulfed in the energy blast.

CHOKA-LOKA-THOOOOOOM!

"Phew! He's gonna feel that one in the morning!" The ponytailed boy remarked.

"I can't believe I actually got 'im!" Kenma remarked.

The dust then began to settle and show Ryoga, who was still standing up-right with his arms crossed. His shirt was now gone and his pants were in tatters.

"Is that all you got, Kenma?" he confidently said.

"Ummm…how are you still standing?" Ranma asked.

"Yeah, you received that Kamehameha full-tilt 5 inches from your face, man," Kenma added.

"Hah! I guess you're just not on my level." the lost boy said with an air of bewildering sense of confidence as he pointed to himself with his thumb.

"Alright then, Ryoga! Let's finish this!" Ranma said as he assumed his fighting stance.

"Gladly" Ryoga replied as he took a single step before suddenly halting and screaming at the top of his lungs in pure agony. "AAAAHHHHH!"

"Wow! So all it took was one step for the pain to set in." Ranma observed.

"I fucking knew he was bullshitting!" Kenma remarked. "Man's bones are powder!"

"Shut up! I can still fight!" the lost boy aggressively stated as he struggled to his feet.

"Fight?! You can barely even stand, let alone rip our hearts out!" the older Saotome brother retorted, baffled at Ryoga's sheer stubbornness and tenacity.

"Sure, I can!" the lost boy declared as he got into his stance.

"Ya know what, I'm gonna humor him and let him get just one hit on." Kenma whispered, knowing that Ryoga could pass out from the grueling pain, any minute.

"OK, Ryoga—if you think you got what it takes, then gimme your best shot!" he declared.

"I'd be glad to!" Ryoga said with a smirk as he walked over to Kenma and poked him in the chest with his index fingers. "BAKUSAI TENKETSU!"

Immediately, Kenma fell to the ground…but his sounds weren't those of horrible agony; instead they were of laughter.

"S-stoppit, Ryoga! You're ticklin' me!" he wheezed as he rolled around on the ground, leaving everyone else flabbergasted.

"Huh?!" the lost boy exclaimed, dumbfounded at this new development. "Why won't you die?!" he said as he continued to poke the monkey boy's chest. However, he only received more uproarious laughter.

"S-seriously, man, stop it!" cackled Kenma. "I swear…I'm gonna pee my pants!"

"It's not working!" Ryoga admitted to himself.

"Did I not mention this technique was primarily used for mining only?" asked Cologne. "It can't really kill people."

Ryoga's face paled. "...what?" he asked.

"Heh, guess it slipped my mind!" chuckled Cologne. "I am 3000 years old, after all...some things tend to trickle through the cracks."

Within an instant, Ryoga's dreams of glorious, blood-stained revenge began to crumble before his eyes.

"Is that right, then?" asked Ranma as he got Kenma to his feet.

Finally, his brother was able to catch his breath and collect himself. "Well, I enjoyed that. You wanna take him on by yourself, or shall we do it together?" Kenma asked.

"Let's take 'im down together, Ken!" Ranma answered.

"Now, fellahs, let's talk about this!" Ryoga pleaded, desperately trying to talk his way out of a well-deserved ass-whooping. "I know I said before that I wanted to kill both of you, but that's because it was in the moment. Ya know, I was kind of in the zone."

"Oh no, Ryoga. We got done talking a while ago!" Ranma said while he slowly advanced towards the lost boy, cracking his knuckles.

"Yep! You were the one who wanted to play this little game, and now you've just won the prize!" Kenma said. "Now let's show him what he's won~"

"Right!" said the older Saotome brother as he rushed towards Ryoga and delivered an elbow to his cheek.

Kenma followed this up by delivering a fist right to his gut, causing him to double over while clutching his stomach in pain.

"GUH—OHK!" Ryoga exclaimed as the saliva pooled in his mouth and dripped out.

As quick as a flash, Ranma zipped behind him and spin kicked him in the back, sending him stumbling towards Kenma who launched him into the air with a somersault kick.

Both brothers then leapt into the air and continued the combo before simultaneously volleyball-spiking Ryoga to the ground with double-axe handle slams.

He then hit the ground with a THOOM!

Ryoga had spirals in his eyes, and a few chirping birds circling his skull. "Geheheheh…pretty birdies~" he giggled dimly.

"And that's another win for us," Kenma noted. "We came, we saw, we kicked his ass!"

"Damn skippy!" Ranma added. "I'll bet Ryoga's wishing he never even thought about messing with us!"

Both brothers shared a fist-bump as Cologne watched with mounting interest.

"Ya know, some part of me had a feeling they could do it." she said to herself.

Soon as he regained consciousness, Ryoga admitted defeat and left the battlefield, vowing vengeance.

Later on, Ranko and Kenma were taking a nice relaxing soak in the tub, finally able to relax and unwind after such a long two days.

"Maaaan-oh-MAN, what a crazy few days it's been," sighed Ranko.

"I'll say!" agreed Kenma. "If this were a job, we'd be puttin' in for overtime!"

"Haha! Yep! By the way, Kenma..." A sneaky smirk crossed Ranko's lips. "While I was strippin' down, I'll bet you loved seeing me all sweaty."

Kenma's eyebrows nearly lifted off his head. "Oh! Well, I mean..." he stammered, his face growing red.

Ranko could tell she had him going. "Yeah, seeing my muscles glisten, and my breasts highlighted with the perfect amount of shine..." she continued. "That must have really gotten the motor running~"

By now, Kenma was beyond flustered. "Cut it out, Bro! You know how I get when you do that!" he insisted.

Ranko laughed. "I know, I know. I'm just messin' with ya!" she insisted. "But at least we got plenty of time to kick back and enjoy the rest of vacation!"

"Yeah, especially now that cutlet boy is gone!" Kenma agreed.

Suddenly, both siblings overheard Akane's joyful gushing [not like that, get your minds outta the gutter]. "Wilbur! You came home to greet me! Ohh, you're such a good widdle piggy~!"

Ranko let out an annoyed groan. "You have got to be kidding me," she groused.

"Looks like our break will hafta wait..." sighed Kenma, as they both sank into the water, bubbling all the way.

IN OUR NEXT EPISODE!

This is Akimitsu. We went to some mushroom temple, ate some of those freaky fungi, and when the others were struck down with illness, Ranma and Kenma volunteered to go find the antidote, and I decided to tag along.

But now, Ranma and Kenma are acting a bit...oddly, I gotta admit. I've heard of family togetherness, but this is ridiculous! And why are we bein' chased by the dads, Ryoga, Kuno, AND Mousse?

Be here for "A Visit to the Mushroom Temple"! Catch you on the rebound!