Disclaimer: Ranma ½ belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Video and Winx Club belongs to Iginio Straffi and Rai S.p.A (NOT 4Kids!). Song 'New World' belongs to .hack/Legend of Twilight.
Note: This follows the Rai version of Winx as the 4Kids version butchered it too much, like with every anime it dubbed.
Chapter 65: Game On! Tecna's VR Challenge!
Winx dorm commons area…
It was a free day today, and the Winx Faeries were currently before a wide HD screen displaying a hover car race. Bloom, Stella, Tecna, and Musa were getting competitive as they played while sitting on a couch. Flora and Layla were standing behind cheering them on.
"Come on come on come on!" said Stella as she swished her controller around trying to speed up her racer.
"I'm catching up!" said Bloom.
"Ha! I'm gonna pass you now, Tecna!" said Musa.
"That's what you think!" said Tecna as she pulled off a boost at the last second that caused her racer to speed ahead past the finish line. "YEAH!"
"Aw man!" said Musa as she placed second while Bloom placed third.
In Stella's case, she wound up in seventh out of eight. "Geez! The controller must be defective!"
"Now now, Stella, you know that's not true." Said Flora.
It was then Ranma, Shampoo, Ukyou, and Xander came in. "Sounds like you're all having fun." Said Ranma.
"Oh! Hey there!" greeted Bloom. "Where you guys been?"
"Well, I was doing some training as usual." Replied Ranma. "Xander just watched."
"We were helping Nodoka-okaasan with her lesson plan." Ukyou added, gesturing to herself and Shampoo.
"Sounds like you've been busy." Said Flora. "Why not take a load off?"
"That good idea, thanks." Said Shampoo as she sat down on one of the plush seats.
"What's this?" asked Xander, pointing at the screen.
"Oh, this is a popular racing game called Race Busters." Replied Tecna. "It's pretty fun!"
"Says the one who keeps winning all the time." Snarked Stella.
Tecna ignored the snarky comment from the blonde. "Why not give it a try, you four?"
Ranma became nervous. "Oh, I'm not very good with these sort of things…"
"Oh? Scared, Ranma?" teased Shampoo as she took up one of the controllers.
The pigtailed boy gets indignant. "Hey! Who said I was?"
"So prove it!" added Ukyou as she took another controller.
"I'd like to try." Said Xander, picking up a third controller.
"Fine! Since you insist! I'll show what I can do!" said Ranma as he took up the last controller.
"Okay then! Let's see what you can do!" said Tecna as she started up a new round.
After Tecna explained the controls, the four chose their racers. Once chosen, the race began.
Shampoo and Ukyou played competitively as it was in their nature. Ranma couldn't help but remember that time at the amusement park where he and some of the Nerima Wrecking Crew competed in the Hyper Kart Grand Prix where he raced against Rinko the champion racer (they all crashed and retired from the race due to Mousse's idea of duct-taping a jet engine to his kart). Ironically enough, Kasumi of all people won the race.
The four were really getting into it, though Ranma had a bit of trouble with the controller. By the end, Xander won first place, with Ukyou getting second, and Shampoo a close third. Ranma would up dead last.
"Yeah! I won!" cheered Xander.
"Damn… I really suck at this…" said Ranma.
"It's fine, Ranma. Not everyone can be an expert." Said Layla.
"Speaking from experience, Layla?" Tecna teased.
Layla could only blush. Apparently, like Ranma, Layla was also a total noob at video games. "Shut up…"
Opening (.hack/Legend of Twilight style, 'New World')
Music starts as flashes of light converge on a headset.
Whoa oh! Whoa oh!
Whoa oh! Whoa oh!
The 'Ranma Club' logo appears before a circuit board background before dissolving into a shadow silhouette of Ranma.
Tell me nanimo wakaranai no, demo (Tell me I don't understand anything, but)
You say itsumo sonna kotoba mo (You always say those kinds of words, too)
Profile of Ranma turns and looks at the camera, opposite from him is Tecna who also looks at the camera. They stand back to back with what looks like a game item box before them. Suddenly, Shampoo and Ukyou pop out of the item box, surprising Ranma and Tecna.
Next it shows Ranma sitting on a tree branch with Stella, who was about to give him a kiss, but Kiko bounces in, resulting in him getting a peck on the cheek. The two see this and laugh.
Surechigau dake no You find another way (You find another way where we only pass each other by)
Owatteku sekai wo tobidashite You know? (And rush out into a world that's ending, you know?)
It goes into cyberspace as Ranma and Tecna's profiles pan towards each other, where then they overlap, images of Bloom, Flora, Stella, Musa, and Layla pass by. Ranma runs through a void, then the scene switches to what looks like window panes of light, where Ranma, Tecna, Bloom, Stella, Flora, Musa, and Layla jump smash through.
Hello Hello It's a New World!
Hikari yori hayaku monokuro no supiido de (Faster than light, with monochromic speed)
Hello Hello It's a New World!
Jikan yori tooku kakenukeru (Further away than time, I run through it)
Everyone high-fives each other. The Phantom Specialists come in attacking with their weapons, ending with Silver Timmy shooting his gun at the camera. In cyberspace, the Winx in their Enchantix forms fly out and fire their magical attacks, with Ranma coming in wielding Sky's longsword.
It then shows Alfea's kitchen as Kasumi and Sasuke prepare the meals as Xander watches, then switches to Nodoka teaching a class with Ukyou and Shampoo, then Mousse presenting a bouquet from his sleeve to Shilly. Valtor with the Trix, Ryoga, and Happosai are seen looming over Ranma and the Winx.
You're so far away
Whoa oh! Whoa oh!
Whoa oh! Whoa oh!
Sky's sword spins around as it passes the screen, which displays images of Bloom, Stella, and Flora. Brandon's sword spins around as it passes the screen, displaying images of Tecna, Musa, and Layla.
Ranma and Tecna pose as they wear VR headsets, Around them were Bloom, Stella, Flora, Musa, Layla, Shampoo, Ukyou, and Mousse.
End opening
City of Magix…
Ranma, Shampoo, Ukyou, Bloom, and Tecna were walking through the streets of Magix, Flying after them was Zing.
"Thanks for accompanying me, you guys." Said Tecna.
"Just happy to help, Tecna." Said Ukyou. She and the others were helping Tecna shop for some computer parts as she was trying to upgrade it. "Still, though, why not ask Stella to accompany you? Shopping is more her thing."
Tecna could only sweatdrop. "And that's EXACTLY why I didn't ask her…"
"Huh?"
Flashback…
Tecna was dragged through Magix on a shopping spree by Stella, who was getting all giddy at all the sales going on. The blonde was like a kid on a sugar high as she went from shop to shop, while Tecna sat by looking annoyed and disheveled, wearing the same expression at every location Stella dragged her to.
End flashback…
"Let's just say I didn't want to go on another shopping journey…" said Tecna.
Bloom could only give a nervous laugh. She understood exactly how she felt. "You got a point there, Tecna. Stella can be a real shopaholic."
"Exactly. I just want to go in and get out. Simple as that."
"Well, let's go!" said Shampoo.
Sometime later…
Tecna managed to get the parts she needed and the group stopped by a café to eat before heading back to Alfea. After eating, they started walking until they pass a large building. Above the entrance was a neon sign reading "Cyber Dimension".
"What's up?" asked Ranma.
"I just remembered that a new game was released and I've been wanting to see what it was. Apparently they have it here." Replied Tecna. "You all don't mind if we stop here before going back, do you?"
"Why not? Place looks fun." Said Ukyou.
They enter the building, which was a large video arcade. Numerous arcade cabinets lined the walls on all three floors. There were even virtual reality simulator games. People were playing or spectating at all the games while others waited their turns.
"Whoa, this place is huge!" said Ranma.
Tecna looked fondly at some of the cabinets. "I remembered playing some of these titles when I was young." Said Tecna. She then saw a sign directing at a staircase leading to the basement level. "Huh? Where does that go?"
A male attendant comes up and answers her. "Hello there! That happens to lead to the latest VR game we've installed. It's called Dice City!"
"Dice City?" asked Shampoo.
"You'll understand once you see it. Go and check it out!"
"I suppose we will. Thanks!" said Tecna.
Basement level…
Tecna lead the way as Ranma, Bloom, Shampoo, Ukyou, and Zing followed. What they saw amazed them. The basement level of the arcade was huge, almost like an arena. There were numerous people sitting on seats lining the upper level as huge display monitors were playing the live play of the game. The screens displayed images of the players in different settings: one was running through a virtual city resembling Magix, another had a player fighting against a horde of thugs, the next had a player going through some kind of obstacle course, and another had a player fighting against a bear. On the lower level of the area was some kind of large line-grid room with pods lining the area. In each of the pods were young men and women wearing some sort of hi-tech goggles.
"Whoa! This place looks awesome!" said Zing. She looks up towards the screens. "Is that what's going on down there?"
"Seems to be." Said Bloom. "Looks extreme."
"Okay, I've got to try this out!" said Tecna.
Fortunately for the group, they didn't have to wait too long to get their turn. Everyone put on the VR goggles as instructed by the staff members. When Ranma put on his goggles, he was taken by surprise when the area suddenly change, like he was sucked into another world. Everything was in neon colors, then suddenly, the floor broke below him, taking him by surprise.
"Whoa! What is this!?" said Ranma as he felt himself in freefall.
He suddenly hits the ground in a tuck and roll, where he finds himself in a virtual projection of Magix City. It's just that it was dark and the structures were lined with brightly colored lights. The ground was also lined with large circular spaces linked by glowing white dots. Before he could comprehend any further, a projection of a cute bunny character appeared.
"Hello, everyone! Welcome to Dice City! Where anything can happen! I'm your host, Korobun!" said the virtual rabbit. The bunny AI was also projected before Bloom, Tecna, Ukyou, and Shampoo separately as it continues its speech. "Here's the deal! You and other players are scattered about in different parts of Dice City, where the object of the game is to get to the goal first!" A map display is shown, marking the players' locations and the goal. "Just roll the dice and move accordingly!" Korobun demonstrates by hitting a virtual die that was spinning rapidly, which busts out a number after being hit. "Once everyone has rolled their number, you all move according to what you get. The spaces you land on will drop you into a random challenge. Beat the challenge, and win skill points! Skill points can get you abilities to help you out, such as giving you higher rolls to increasing stats to name a few! Fail, and you get nothing but damage to your health bar!" A green health bar appears above everyone's heads. "Once it reaches zero, you are out of here! So be careful! Don't worry, you won't get hurt for real, it's all virtual! As for what kind of challenges you'll face, well… let's leave that as a surprise! Now everyone! GAME ON!"
Korobun disappears into sparkles and replaced by a big virtual die cube.
"Well then…" said Ukyou. She and everyone else struck the spinning die, where they each got a random number. They each ran down the road passing the circular spaces on the ground as the numbers counted down until they were forced to stop.
Throughout the game, Ranma and company had been tackling a lot of virtual challenges. Tecna took the form of a small flying ship where she had to shoot down enemy craft, trying to destroy a virtual wall, and fighting two virtual thugs where she was thankfully in her Enchantix form for. Bloom's challenges consisted of sharp-shooting some virtual clay pigeons, racing against a virtual opponent in a 100 yard dash, and breaking as many virtual barrels as she could. Shampoo's challenges included running through a parkour course, fighting a group of virtual thugs while limited only to using kicks (which was just fine for her), and fighting a virtual tiger. Ukyou's challenges had her do a fast wall-climbing race, breaking as many flaming oil drums as fast as possible, and fighting armed virtual thugs where she found to her surprise she had her spatula for. Ranma's challenges included quickly destroying a car, fighting several armed thugs, and even fighting against a bear. In short, it was like a huge virtual battle board game.
In the end, Tecna managed to reach the goal first. Surprisingly enough, Ranma came in second.
Alfea…
The group returned back to Alfea after the gaming session at Cyber Dimension. Tecna couldn't stop talking about the experience.
"I've never done anything like that before!" said Tecna.
"I have to say, that was an awesome game!" said Ranma. He never thought his physical skills would give him an advantage in a video game before.
"Probably why you placed so high this time, Ran-chan!" said Ukyou.
They were greeted by Stella, Flora, Musa, Layla, and Kiko once they entered the dorm room.
"Welcome back, everyone!" greeted Flora.
"So where were you guys?" asked Layla.
"We went to help Tecna buy some computer parts, then stopped by the arcade." Replied Bloom.
"There was this really great VR game called Dice City that was released there. It was fun!" added Tecna.
"Really? Must've been something." Said Musa.
"Should try it, too!" said Shampoo. "Really tested Shampoo's reflexes!"
"Wait, it's physical? This got interesting." Said Layla.
"We should all go next time." Suggested Bloom.
"Great idea! I'd like to try this Dice City thing out!" said Stella.
The following days, Tecna lead the rest of the Winx and the martial artists to Cyber Dimension to check out the Dice City VR game. For Stella, Flora, Musa, and Layla, it was definitely a new experience. It was like going through a life-sized virtual board game. It had been a lucky thing that when they get into battle-type challenges, they were able to take on their Enchantix forms. Though there were some harmless ones like the time Flora got a challenge where she had to serve up ready-made drinks to a set number of virtual patrons in a bar setting under a time limit, or when Stella had a challenge where she had to quickly hop across floating platforms on a pool. They also found that challenges were ranked by stars, and the higher it is, the bigger the challenge. Layla wound up with a rock wall climbing challenge where she not only had to climb as high as she could in the time limit without falling, she had to dodge virtual debris being dropped on her.
Still, the ones grabbing the attention were Tecna and Ranma. They've managed to complete their challenges without much trouble at all. Ranma totally dominated the physical challenges, especially the battle ones which he would clear in less than a minute. Tecna had a few physical ones, too, but she shined in the shooting challenges. Spectators from outside could only be awed at the virtual display screens showing what was happening in the cyber space.
A few days later…
"Yeah! I think I just got my best one yet!" said Ranma as he, Tecna, and Xander. He thought the battle challenges at least gave some good training.
"Glad you've been enjoying yourself." Said Xander.
"Well it beats using a controller, that's for sure."
As the group was about to leave, they see something going on at the front desk. Apparently, it was a registration for an event.
"What's happening over there?" asked Xander.
"Come one and all for the Dice City Battle Tournament!" said a staff member.
"A tournament? Sounds interesting…" said Ranma.
"Let's check it out." Suggested Tecna.
The three went over to where the crowd was at. The announcer continues his speech.
"This is to celebrate Dice City's premiere where we intend to expand it to other parts of Magix! To make things more interesting, this will be a pairs co-op setting. Pairs of players will act as one unit where they must work together to finish whatever challenges they will face. Also, to really spice things up, players may even face off against other players in a bid to finish first and reach the goal!"
"What? Pairs?" said Tecna. She instinctively looked to Ranma, who also looked at her.
"Participants will pay an entrance fee to secure their place in the contest where the winners will take home a huge cash prize! If you're confident, sign up now!"
Patrons immediately tried to find someone to pair with, some even tried to propose partnerships with Ranma and Tecna after seeing how they performed in the past few sessions they played in.
"Ranma…" said Tecna as she felt overwhelmed.
"Yeah… I get it, Tecna…" said Ranma as if reading her thoughts.
The two quickly pushed past the crowds to the registration desk to sign themselves up as a pair unit. Tecna was thankful for it as now she won't be pestered, as well as getting to do co-op with Ranma, causing her to blush a little.
Alfea…
"What? You registered for a game tournament?" asked Bloom.
"They did. I saw it all!" said Xander.
"Man! I wanted to sign up, too!" said Stella.
"Sorry Stella, but registration is closed now." Said Tecna sympathetically.
"Well I'm sure you'll both do great!" said Flora.
"Winning that prize won't be too bad, either." Said Musa.
"Indeed. I could donate it to the school for upgraded facilities, or fund a school trip." Said Tecna.
"Now that's something to look forward to!" said Stella.
"So when will this contest begin, Tecna?" asked Layla.
"In a week, so this coming Saturday." Replied Tecna.
One week later…
In the basement level of Cyber Dimension, the arena was packed with people spectating the event. In the crowd was Bloom, Stella, Flora, Musa, Layla, Shampoo, Ukyou, Mousse, Shilly, and Xander.
"Sure is a big crowd." Said Mousse.
"No kidding. Thanks for inviting me, by the way!" said Shilly.
"Eh heh… no problem…"
The announcer made his way up to the main platform.
"Hello one and all, and welcome to the Dice City Battle Tournament!" said the announcer. "This will be the greatest VR event ever held! Ten teams of two will be fighting it out within Dice City for the grand prize!"
Maintenance level…
The level below the playing area contained numerous sophisticated computer and electronic devices that powered the Dice City VR game. Suddenly, a shadowed figure snuck into the restricted area and held out a hand, letting loose a cloud of darkness. The dark cloud enveloped the machines before being absorbed into it, causing the lights to glow an ominous purple. The figure lets off a small laugh before exiting like nothing happened.
Player waiting room…
All the player pairs had entered private rooms to get ready before entering the playing area. Ranma and Tecna had been issued their VR goggles and in the process on donning them.
"Well, this is it." Said Ranma.
"Yeah." Said Tecna, then turned to look at the pigtailed boy. "Ranma?"
"Yeah, Tecna?"
"I know it's late, but… I'm really happy you partnered up with me…" She looks away, feeling flustered. "I enjoy spending time with you, you know?"
Ranma was also a bit flustered. "Uh, yeah… anytime! I know that this VR thing is your scene and all, and to tell the truth, it fascinates me, too. It's really no different from the simulation room at Alfea, the only difference is it's for fun."
"Well I'm glad to have expanded your interests outside of martial arts." Tecna giggled.
A digital voice sounded off. "All players please step up to the playing field!"
"Let's go for number one!" said Tecna.
"Of course!" said Ranma.
The two high-five each other before standing before the doorway leading to the playing area. Once the door opened, the couple walked through.
In another player room, a young man and woman laid unconscious in the corner. The doorway leading to the playing area started closing. Before it closed, a shadowed pair of people were seen beyond it…
Dice City arena level…
"And here are our players!" said the announcer as he gestured to the area below separated by a thick glass pane. He began introducing the contestants as the crowds cheered.
"Look! There's Ranma and Tecna!" said Bloom as she pointed at the pair below.
The Winx and martial artists began cheering and waving to them to get their attention after they had been introduced.
"It's Bloom and the others!" said Tecna as she looked at her friends above.
"Well we'd better not disappoint them!" said Ranma.
"Players! Put on your VR goggles and get ready to fall into Dice City!" said the announcer.
Everyone put on their goggles in which they all get transported into cyberspace. The area was obscured, replaced by a huge virtual map of the virtual city. Large virtual display screens appeared before the audience to show what is going on with the players.
Dice City…
Ranma and Tecna stood before a large pair of spinning dice. As instructed, they both hit their cube, causing numbers to pop out. Adding the amount, the two managed to move ten spaces. Looking around, they saw the other nine pairs of players stopping at their spaces. Once everyone had moved, they were all whisked away to their individual challenges.
"So that's what it looks like…" said Ranma before he and Tecna vanished.
The two find themselves in what looked like an underground parking lot where twelve armored thugs were waiting for them. A display then reads, "Defeat all enemies in under three minutes!" before vanishing.
"Well then, let's get started! Tecna!" said Ranma as he cracked his knuckles.
"On it!" said Tecna as she transformed.
The two shouted out as they charged the enemy group.
Arena…
"Ranma look like he enjoying himself." Said Shampoo as she and the others watched the screen showing Ranma and Tecna beating back the virtual thugs with no trouble. Ranma would lash out with punches and kicks while Tecna blasted anyone with her energy blasts. Every time they took down a thug, it would dissipate into fractal code. In no time at all, they took down their opponents with plenty of time remaining.
"Wouldn't expect any less from those two!" said Musa.
They looked at the other screens to see how the other players were doing. Some managed to pass their trials while others not so much, resulting in a decrease to their in-game health. They couldn't help but wince when one pair, who was doing a tightrope challenge between two skyscrapers, fall off screaming. Another pair got overwhelmed by a group of armed thugs.
"Whoa! Look at those guys!" said Shilly as she pointed to another screen.
It showed two hooded individuals who easily decimated a group of twenty armed foes on a rooftop.
"Those guys are good…" said Flora. "Who were they again?"
"I believe their names are Brian and Sandra, if I remember correctly." Said Xander.
"Don't worry! I know Ranma and Tecna will win no matter who they go up against!" said Stella.
Ranma and Tecna were immediately ported back onto the map as well as the rest of the players. Once again, dice appeared before them to make their move.
As the game went on, Ranma and Tecna tackled many challenges. One challenge had them climbing up a rock wall. The martial artist had no trouble scaling the cliff, but Tecna was a different story. She wasn't allowed to transform and fly, so had to do it physically. Both of them had to reach the top in the alotted time or fail the challenge. When Tecna accidentally slipped and fell, Ranma quickly dropped down and caught her hand, then had her cling onto his back while he jump-climbed the rest of the way, getting to the top in time.
Another challenge had them both as drone fighter pilots where they had to shoot down enemy drones. Ranma shot haphazardly while Tecna fired her guns with near perfect accuracy. She quickly shot down a pair of drones that tried to shoot Ranma from behind.
The next challenge had Ranma and Tecna tasked with destroying a number of money-filled safes that drop from the air in a bank vault setting. Ranma made short work of them with his crushing punches and kicks while Tecna used her magic to blast the safes open.
One of their later challenges was fighting a pair of large chimeras. That one took a bit to overcome. Fortunately, Ranma was able to use his souls to fight to make it easier for them.
Also, when pairs wind up on the same space, the challenge is overridden with a combat between the opposing players. The pigtailed boy and techno faerie got paired against two burly looking guys who underestimated the Alfea students. Ranma easily sent one of them flying with a kick while Tecna electrocuted the other with her powers.
Sometime later…
"It's been some time since the start of the tournament, but it looks like we're heading into the final stretch, folks!" said the announcer.
Bloom and the others looked from their seats to see Ranma and Tecna returning from having finished their latest challenge.
"They're still in it!" said Bloom.
"And it looks like a lot have dropped out, too!" added Stella.
It was true. Throughout the contest, the other pair teams have all been eliminated after their in-game health had been reduced to zero. So far, the Ranma and Tecna team were still in the running, as well as one other team, the Brian and Sandra team.
"Looks like it's just down to those two now…" said Ukyou.
"Oh I feel anxious…" said Flora. "They're so close to the finish…"
On the virtual field, both pairs were literally close to the looked over to the two hooded players across from him.
'Hmmm… why do they seem familiar…?' Thought Ranma.
"Something wrong?" asked Tecna.
"Something about those two guys left in this contest." Said Ranma. "Just can't put my finger on it…"
Tecna looked over at the last two players of the game and thought their hooded getups seemed a bit odd and suspicious.
The virtual dice appeared before all players where they struck them for the numbers. Once tallied, both teams wound up in the goal.
"Well here it is, folks! Looks like we got ourselves a tie!" said the announcers. "After the other teams have been eliminated, the final two must now face-off in a sudden death matchup for first place!"
'Sudden death is right!' thought one of the opposing pair.
The two teams were then whisked away and placed in a virtual colosseum where they faced each other off.
"In this corner, we have the Ranma and Tecna team!"
People cheered as the two waved, the biggest cheering coming from their friends.
"WHOO-HOO! GO RANMA! GO TECNA!" shouted Stella.
"And in this corner… we have the Brian and Sandra team!"
More cheering sounded off, but the two made no sign of noticing.
"This will be a good old-fashioned fight. Anything is prohibited! You are eliminated once your in-game health is reduced to zero! Let the battle begin!"
Sandra smirks under her hood. "It's showtime!"
Suddenly, dark mists flowed out from underneath her hooded cloak, which began to obscure everything.
"What?" said Tecna just before she and Ranma get enveloped by the darkness.
The dark cloud killed all visibility to the spectating crowds.
"Hey! What gives!?"
"I can't see anything!"
"What's going on down there!?"
"Someone get technical support!"
"Uh… we seem to be having some technical difficulties here, folks. Please standby!" said the announcer.
Bloom and the others get incredibly worried.
"I've got a bad feeling about this…" said Layla.
Virtual arena…
The next thing Ranma and Tecna know, they were in some kind of dark digital grid-lined landscape with glitched out graphics and missing sections as if infected by a computer virus.
"Hey! What's going on!?" demanded Ranma.
Brian smirks under his hood and suddenly punches the ground, causing sharp stalagmites to rush out at the pair.
"LOOK OUT!" shouted Ranma as he quickly grabbed Tecna and dove out of the way. To his surprise, the last stalagmite exploded near him into sharp rocky pieces like shrapnel, hitting Ranma in the back and grazing his face. He let out grunts of pain, shocked that he actually felt real injury to himself.
"Ranma!" said Tecna. She was shocked to see that Ranma's cheek was bleeding from the grazing shot he received. 'Blood? But that's impossible! How can he be injured for real?'
Sandra then fired a spear of dark energies at Tecna, who barely managed to dodge it in time. She winced in pain when it managed to graze her arm, drawing blood. 'No! Everything we feel here is real!'
"Tecna!" shouted Ranma after seeing the girl get injured. He turned to glare at their opponents. "I know those tricks…" Ranma charges up his ki and… "MOKO TAKABISHA!"
The large ball of confidence-fueled ki shot out at the pair, causing an explosion that kicked up a cloud of dust. Once the dust cleared, the hooded cloaks were blown away from the attack, revealing…
Tecna's eyes widen, then narrowed as she recognized the two adversaries. "You…"
"I thought it would be you two… Darcy! Ryoga!" said Ranma.
"Heh, about time you figured it out!" said Darcy.
"So good to see you again, Ranma." Ryoga said with a sadistic smile.
"How did you two even get in here!? And what have you done to the system!?" Tecna demanded.
"Oh that, we convinced a team to retire so we could take their place." Said Darcy. "I also left a delayed virus into the system that would activate once we got matched to fight, so now everything felt here is real! Your pain will not be virtual!"
"How dare you corrupt the game! You'll pay for this! WINX ENCHANTIX!" Tecna immediately transformed for battle.
"Bring it on, geek!" said Darcy.
"ENOUGH TALK! FIGHT!" shouted Ryoga as he made a beeline for Ranma.
To Ranma's shock, Ryoga seemed to be a lot faster than expected as he barely managed to block his attack in time, but he winds up getting knocked back several feet.
"What the hell!?" said Ranma.
"Surprised, Ranma?" taunted Ryoga. "Not only is Darcy's spell making this all real, it's boosted my abilities, too, including my speed!"
"In other words, you're basically using cheat codes on yourself." Said Ranma. "Real nice. You never could take me on fairly!"
"It's a team effort, you jerk!" said Ryoga as he pressed his attack. He then threw a bandanna, which suddenly duplicated into twenty, flying right at Ranma. He winced when he saw the makeshift shurikens, knowing full well what they'll do and pushed himself to dodge them.
Meanwhile, Tecna had her hands full as she dealt with Darcy. Like Ryoga, the darkness witch also had her abilities buffed by the dark virus she installed in the system.
"BLACK SPHERE!" Darcy shot a large globe of darkness at Tecna, knocking her out of the air. She yelped in pain as she crashed to the ground. "What's wrong, nerd? Getting slow?"
Suddenly, Darcy vanished and appeared next to Tecna who shot her with another dark blast. Tecna was sent flying up, then countered with her own spell.
"TECNO BOLT!"
The bolt of green electricity shot at Darcy, but the witch zipped out of the way with her enhanced speed. She tried shooting at her again, but met with the same results.
"Too slow!" Darcy appeared to Tecna's left and struck her with a darkness-enhanced fist, knocking her back down to the ground.
"Tecna!" shouted Ranma after witnessing what had happened. He barely dodged Ryoga's attack.
"You don't have time to be worrying about your little girlfriend, Ranma!" said Ryoga as he zipped up and nailed Ranma in the face with a punch, sending him flying off to the side. The dark virus had also increased the lost boy's already immense strength even further.
Angered, Ranma gets back up and charged at Ryoga. "Don't get in my way! KATCHUTENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!"
He unleashed his rapid-fire punch technique upon Ryoga. However, Ryoga broke through the move and punched him into the ground, sending digital shrapnel everywhere.
"Oh please, that didn't feel like anything!" taunted Ryoga.
'No good! That damn virus is boosting his insane endurance, too!' thought Ranma as he tried to recover from the attack.
Back with Tecna, the Faerie was currently erecting a barrier around herself after Darcy created a group of clones who all converge dark beam attacks on her.
"What's wrong, tech nerd? Aren't you having fun? I know I am!" taunted Darcy. She and her clones fire off one more volley of dark blasts which shatter Tecna's barrier. Fusing back into one, she follows up with another dark bolt that sent Tecna back down.
'This is bad! Because she hacked the system to give herself and Ryoga unfair advantages, we're getting pounded! But maybe I can…'
Tecna cast a spell in a silent voice and place her palm on the ground, causing it to glow a bit.
Darcy landed before her. "Get up, dork!" She fired another dark blast, but Tecna managed to dodge it.
"ROCK RAIN!" Ryoga caused a hail of boulders to fall from the sky, forcing Ranma to dodge the large masses of minerals. "That's right! Run like the coward you are!"
"I'm no coward, P-chan!" shouted Ranma as he closed in and struck Ryoga in the face with a flying kick, knocking him back a few feet.
"DON'T CALL ME P-CHAN!" Ryoga raged as he shot a barrage of rocks at his foe.
Ranma dodged and knocked aside the rocks heading for him. "Calling me a coward, this coming from someone who sneak attacks me every chance he gets and now powering himself up unfairly which is no better than taking steroids!"
"Shut up! I don't care! You deserve it all anyway!"
Ranma catches the last rock and throws it right back in Ryoga's face, knocking him down.
"And here I thought you couldn't get any more pathetic…"
Ryoga raged and charged at Ranma with a punch, but was quickly knocked far away by an uppercut from Onyx Riven.
'Whoa… Did something happen? I didn't think I'd be able to knock him away that easily…'
Tecna was now deflecting Darcy's blasts, then sends out a small green energy ball that exploded before the dark witch, knocking her back.
"Nice try, but your magic attacks are useless against me!" said Darcy.
"Then how about this?" Tecna suddenly zoomed up and decked Darcy in the face with a punch that knocked her down to the ground.
She looked up in shock. "How… how did you…!?"
"You forced in an illegal code into the system. Since I couldn't eliminate the virus, I could add something in. I was able to give Ranma and myself a few buffs to match you." Explained Tecna.
Darcy growled. "Doesn't matter! You're almost finished anyway! BLINDING DARKNESS!"
Tecna was taken by surprise when a sphere of darkness enveloped her head, cutting off all visibility.
"I can't see!"
"You're wide open!" said Darcy as she blasted the blinded faerie, knocking her back to the ground.
Tecna slowly pushes herself up, but she had sustained much injuries during their fight as Darcy had claimed. 'If only I knew of the virus earlier…'
"You're nothing but a useless nerd! Nerds are nothing but socially awkward and physically inept losers whose sole purpose is to be stepped on! I'm doing the world a favor by killing you off, useless geek!" With that, Darcy charges up another dark sphere powered by the dark virus to unleash on the blind and helpless Faerie. With her dark power primed, Darcy let loose a huge ball of darkness.
"NO!"
As if in slow motion, Ranma quickly ran over to the blinded Tecna, just as Silver Timmy emerged, armed with his gun which began charging up a shot. A large energy sphere formed at the end of the gun's barrel, which then fired off right at Darcy's dark sphere. The charged shot caused Darcy's projectile to get knocked aside where it harmlessly smashed into a digital outcropping.
"WHAT!?"
Silver Timmy fires off another charged shot into the air before fusing back into Ranma, which blew away the enveloping darkness surrounding the area. As a result, the playing field became visible again.
Arena…
"Oh, we have visual again!" said the announcer.
The darkness in the virtual arena cleared as well as the visibility for the big display monitors. The crowds gasped once they saw what was happening.
"Hey, isn't that one of the Trix who are wanted across the Magix Dimension?"
"No way! Why is she here!?"
"Is this an attack!?"
The announcer looks to some staff members. "Cut the power and bring those two out! They could be in danger!"
"We can't! The system is preventing any and all attempts to shut it down!"
The Winx's group became alarmed at what they were viewing.
"Darcy!? She's here!?" said Stella.
"What's going on? What do we do?" asked Xander.
"More importantly, are Ranma and Tecna all right!?" asked a worried Bloom.
"I'LL THRUST YOU ALL INTO AN ABYSS!"
Everyone watched the screens as Darcy charged at Ranma who was cradling a still blinded Tecna, powering up her dark energy. Before she could connect, Ranma sends out Silver Timmy, who charged in with an elbow strike to her gut, knocking her back several feet where she crashed painfully.
"This was supposed to be a competition between people who enjoy games, and you go and corrupt it with your pettiness…" said Ranma as he started emitting a battle aura. "How dare you mess with other people's hobbies! And you calling Tecna a nerd like it's the worst possible thing! So what if she is one, what does that make you!?"
"What would you know, you freak!?" shouted Darcy.
"You forget one thing about nerds: they've got brains, and Tecna's got brains, beauty, and heart, which is more than what I can say about you and the company you keep! So don't you dare look down on her!"
From the crowds, the spectators cheered.
"You tell her!"
"Show her the power of gamers!"
"Geeks rule the world!"
"Ranma…" said Tecna as she felt tears well in her eyes as they have gained their sight again after the blinding darkness spell wore off.
Ranma's hand and Tecna's chest began glowing with a deep indigo light. Their eyes widened once they saw what was happening.
"It's happening between them now!" said Flora.
Ranma looked to Tecna with a knowing look, who nods with consent. Reaching out with his glowing hand, he grabbed the pink-haired girl's breast and gave a firm squeeze. Tecna gave off an uncharacteristic moan of pleasure as they both get engulfed in a pillar of light, blinding Darcy who was forced to shield her eyes.
The onlookers could only gasp at what was done while the Winx's group could only blush at the sight.
"I wonder what she'll become?" asked Musa. Bloom and Stella became gauntlets, while she and Layla became greaves, so what will Tecna turn into?
Back in the arena…
"RANMA! WHERE ARE YOU!?" shouted Ryoga as he finally arrived to where the fight was since getting launched away earlier.
"Where were you, you idiot?!" shouted Darcy. "Never mind that! We got to take him out!"
They turned to see the light pillar had died down. Once it was gone, Ranma stood alone with Tecna nowhere in sight. The scene pans from Ranma's feet, slowly up his legs, torso, hands, and arms. Then it finally reaches his head.
Ranma was now wearing what looked like a deep indigo hi-tech helmet that covered all but the face. The sides were layered with wing-like protrusions giving an aerodynamic design while the front had a V-shaped protector resembling lightning bolts with a gem at the center like a crown. A visor suddenly extended from the top of the helmet to cover over Ranma's eyes. Finally, the helmet extended a galvanized metallic mouth guard that snapped closed over Ranma's lower face, resembling a ninja's mask. Due to the new headgear, Ranma's signature pigtail was draped over his shoulder in front. (1)
Audience area…
"Tecna became… a helmet?" said Layla.
Arena…
"Tecna…?" said Ranma as he felt the helmet on his head.
'Wow, so this is my form, huh?' said Helmet Tecna.
Darcy and Ryoga stared at Ranma wearing the helmet. After a minute, the two burst out laughing.
"HAHAHA! Nice hat, Ranma!" taunted Ryoga. "Is that supposed to scare us?"
"How's a stupid helmet going to help you!?" asked Darcy mockingly. "BLINDING DARKNESS!" Darcy shot off an even bigger ball of darkness at Ranma which completely engulfed him. "You can't fight if you can't see!"
Suddenly, bright emerald eyes shined through the darkness, catching Darcy and Ryoga off guard. Before they could blink, the two were struck by a large ki blast, knocking them back.
"What the!?" said Ryoga.
"I see you." Said Ranma as fired off another ki blast that sent the two flying again. At this time, the darkness spell lifted from him as he slowly marched towards his foes.
Darcy angrily gets back up. "So you can see through my darkness, huh? Well you still can't keep up with our speed! Ryoga!"
Ryoga nods and the both of them zipped about before suddenly appearing on either side of Ranma, charging up an attack.
'DIGITAL DEFENSE!'
Darcy and Ryoga suddenly slammed into a digital grid as if it were a wall. Ranma lashed out with a palm strike in Darcy's belly and a hard kick at Ryoga's gut.
"Wow, I feel like I can see in all directions!" said Ranma. He had been able to see Ryoga and Darcy's attacks without actually using his eyes.
Ryoga manages to recover first and charges at his hated rival. "YOU BASTARD!" He throws a wild barrage of punches, but Ranma managed to dodge it all thanks to the heightened senses the helmet gave him.
"PSYONIC SHOT!"
The jewel on the front of the helmet immediately fired an energy blast at near point-blank range at Ryoga's face, sending him flying back.
'Ranma! Look at the ground a moment! I'm going to try something out!' said Helmet Tecna.
"What're you going to do?" asked Ranma as he turned towards the ground.
'Giving us a better advantage!'
A sort of projector lens popped out the side of the helmet in which a scanning beam shot out. The parts of the ground the scan hit showed what looked like digital coding.
'There!'
The whole area flashed for a moment, a sort of energy wave emitted from the spot where Ranma stood before turning to normal.
"SHADOW BIND!"
Ranma suddenly found his arms and legs ensnared by chains made of shadows and held tight.
"Not so tough without your arms or legs, are you?" taunted Darcy.
"EYE BEAMS!"
Darcy was taken by surprise when Ranma shot her with twin beams of green light from his eyes, knocking her on her back. He looked at his restraints, using his eye beams to destroy them and freeing himself.
'Now!'
Ranma's helmet then shot out two beams of light that each grabbed Darcy and Ryoga, levitating them into the air. He slams the two of them together, causing them to fall.
"How… dare… you!" said Darcy angrily as she picked herself up.
"You're gonna get it now!" shouted Ryoga.
To their shock, Ranma zipped around at an impossible pace that he literally ran laps around them. As he ran, Ranma picked them off with well-placed mind blasts, which hurt more than they should.
"OW OW OW!" shouted Ryoga as he held his head in pain.
"WHAT IS THIS!?" demanded Darcy as she also held her head in pain from the mind assault.
'I've managed to debug your virus, Darcy. Now you and Ryoga don't have the buffs you had earlier!' said Helmet Tecna. 'We, however, do!'
Ranma fires off twin lasers from his eyes that stunned Darcy and Ryoga.
"THAT'S NOT FAIR!" Ryoga shouted.
"Oh shut it, Ryoga! This has always been your problem!" retorted Ranma. "You come at me once you think you have a means to beat me and keep repeating the process, but when I find a way around it, you go and complain!" (2)
Ranma wittled the two down with constant eye beams and mind blasts before the helmet released a few mini-drones that flew over and dropped what looked like bombs near them. They looked at the mini-payloads with confusion until the exploded, sending them up into the air.
"Game over!" Ranma crouched down and jumped up, spinning rapidly like a drill. He struck Ryoga headfirst into his gut with the rising spinning headbutt, which also smashed him up into Darcy.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"
Helmet Tecna then activated an algorithm in which a portal opened up above the two conspirators, making them disappear through before closing it. (3)
Somewhere in a dense forest miles outside of Magix City…
A portal opened up, and both Darcy and Ryoga crashed unceremoniously onto the ground.
"-AAAAAAH!"
CRASH!
Darcy painfully sits herself up on Ryoga's back (who unintentionally broke her fall).
"Those losers...! Mark my words, next time I will bury you!" said Darcy.
"That's... my line..." said Ryoga beneath her.
"Oh shut up!"
Cyber Dimension arena...
"Well that was a fun game." said Ranma.
'Nice way of using your head there, but I'd rather you use it mentally and not physically with me.' said Helmet Tecna.
"Sorry, force of habit."
"What a show, everyone! The Ranma and Tecna team did it and defeated those vile characters!" said the announcers, getting cheers from the crowds.
"They did it!" said Xander.
From on the screens and the playing area below, Ranma (and by extension Tecna) looked around and waved to the crowds' applause. Due to the defeat of Darcy, the dark virus was purged from the system and was now running normally.
"And now, we would like to request the winners to come up on stage!"
The Winx nod to each other and got up from their seats.
"We'll be right back." said Flora to Ukyou, Shampoo, Mousse, Shilly, and Xander.
"Where're you all going?" asked Mousse.
"A little fashion emergency." replied Stella.
Ending
Player waiting room...
Ranma exits the playing field into the waiting room, where the other five Faeries were waiting for him.
"Ranma! Tecna!" said Bloom.
'Bloom! Everyone!' said Helmet Tecna.
"Hey, girls." said Ranma.
"Have to say, looking good, you two." said Layla as she looked at the hi-tech helmet Ranma was wearing.
The metallic mouthpiece rescinded back into the helmet's sides. "Thanks, Layla. Although, I never thought I could fight like that. Never occurred to me how I could attack with a helmet. Gauntlets and greaves I can understand, but not this."
'The mind is a weapon, too, Ranma.' said Helmet Tecna.
"Well, the fight's over now, so you can return back, Tecna." said Musa.
'Indeed.'
The helmet on Ranma's head flashed with light. Once it vanished, Tecna was seen with her arms around Ranma's neck from behind. Of course, she was also naked and blushed as she held tighter to hide herself behind the boy. Even though he couldn't see her, Ranma blushed as he had a good idea of Tecna's state of undress, not to mention he could feel her bare breasts pressing into his back. Stella materialized her clothes back on.
Back at the arena.
"And now, we present our champions, Ranma and Tecna, the trophy for the Dice City Battle Tournament!" said the announcer. "You have proven you are super gamers as well as heroes, real and virtual! Thank you all for attending!"
Everyone in the stands cheered for the winners as the display screens played virtual fireworks. Ranma and Tecna waved to the crowds as they both held the trophy. The cash prize wasn't bad either, and would be donated to Alfea.
Meanwhile, from one of the player waiting rooms, the real Brian and Sandra exit groggily.
"Hey... is the tournament over...?"
End ending
To be continued...
Preview...
Bloom: A criminal is on the loose?
Musa: As if we didn't have enough problems already!
Ranma: But who's the target?
Tecna: It's at... Red Fountain?
Stella: Oh no! Headmaster Saladin is in danger!
Layla: What could the criminal want with him?
Flora: Wait! Where are you taking him!? Next time on Ranma Club, 'Together Again! But Maybe Not a Good Thing?'
Ranma: Gramps! We're coming for you! Huh? Who's that...?
Author's notes:
It took me a while to think of a game to make. Haven't put any thought into making something since that school play chapter. As you can tell, the VR game was mostly inspired by Dice n Cube from the Judgment games as well as Mario Party. Tried to merge them into this.
I know it has been months since I put out a chapter of Ranma Club, and thanks to all my loyal readers for sticking with me this whole time! Hopefully, the tough part is done and now I can think of what the next episode will be like. Congrats for figuring out Tecna would become a helmet. Seems to suit her since she values intelligence and would want to protect the brain.
Again, I recommend giving Dual Destinies and Tekkadread Remastered a read in the meantime! Would like to hear your thoughts on them in reviews!
(1) Imagine the helmet of Tekkaman Blade.
(2) This is true. Just like when Ryoga learned the Breaking Point and Shishi Hokodan, Ryoga would use them repeatedly until Ranma figures out a way to counter them.
(3) Think like how Soundwave from Transformers Prime uses ground bridging to force teleport anything and anyone.