Episode 43:

A 2-on-1 Duel!
Havin' a Go at the Dojo!

FEATURING THE VOICES OF:

ROB PAULSEN as Ranma
JESS HARNELL as Kenma
GREY DELISLE as Akane
QUINTON FLYNN as Akimitsu
BOB PAPENBROOK as Genma
RENE AUBERJONOIS as Soun
MELISSA FAHN as Kasumi
CRISTINA VEE as Nabiki
MICHAEL McCONNOHIE as Dojo Destroyer
LAUREN TOM as Shampoo, Atsuko
TRESS MACNEILLE as Nodoka

It was another early morning at the Tendo Dojo, and Ranma and Akane were being read the riot act by their fathers.

"Ranma, Akane, I want you both to listen up," said Soun. "I know that both of you are under a lot of pressure…I mean, after all, you are both meant to inherit the School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts one day. In the midst of your training, it's only natural that passions should run high…but you are not to use this dojo as a boxing ring!"

"Ranma, you make your father upset," Genma shook his head in dismay. "We've talked about this before—why can't you just treat your fiancée with more tenderness? The source of martial arts is not skill, but the heart! Training is nothing without heart!"

"She's not my fiancée, you fat idiot! How many times do I have to say it?!" said Ranma, getting very tired of the old routine.

Akane nodded in agreement. "And just because I don't hate him doesn't mean I have some kind of interest in him," she added, glancing over at Akimitsu, who waved at her. She waved back, before Aki headed outside to work on the roof.

"Be that as it may," Soun stated after clearing his throat. "You and Ranma are heirs of the schools; we cannot gain any students for you to teach if you continue to harbor such hostility towards each other."

"But daddy—" Akane whined before she was silenced by her father.

"Now, I'm not saying you two need to get married right now to make amends…" Soun told his youngest daughter.

"We weren't?" Genma asked as he held some wedding pamphlets and the home phone up.

"We aren't," Soun corrected his old friend. "Now, I know that this hostility has been burning since you first met, I see that as of late. However, all I ask of you and Ranma is to at the very least be friends, and not act like two children fighting over who gets the remote control for the TV."

"Soun's got a point," Genma relented. "The future of the Anything-Goes Martial Arts School depends on you! Only the two of you—"

Genma was cut off seeing that Ranma and Akane were distracted by something more interesting than his usual ramblings.

"Hey, are you guys done using the Dojo?" Kenma asked as he poked his head into the building. "I kinda reserved this time for some meditation and such."

"Sure, go for it," Akane shrugged. "The floor is yours."

"Sweet," Kenma said as he came inside.

"Hang on, we aren't done here!" Soun barked as he rushed the teens as he grabbed Ranma and Akane's shoulders. "We still need to find the perfect way for you two to become friends and work together."

"Look, Soun. We'll try to cross that bridge when we get to it." Ranma said, uncertain of whether or not he and Akane could be "friends".

Just then, the door flew open, and standing in the doorway was Kasumi. "Father!" she exclaimed. "Come quickly!"

At this, everyone turned towards the sound of her voice. When Kasumi was this worked-up about something, it was hard not to take notice.

ONE SCENE TRANSITION LATER…

"This Saturday evening, I, the Dojo Destroyer, will come to challenge your pitiful excuse for a dojo and claim its sign," read Soun.

"Does it really have to be Saturday?" asked Kenma. "That's when all the good shows are on!"

"How do we know this is real? It could just be a prank," Akane questioned the note.

"What did this man look like, Kasumi?" asked Soun.

"Well, I didn't exactly see," Kasumi replied. "The thing is, it was here when Jinn and I came back from shopping."

"A wise man once said, the path of a true martial artist is fraught with danger," said Soun. "If you cannot meet my challenge and lay your life on the line, then you were NEVER meant to be a Martial Artist in the first place."

Genma nodded. "Right! And an Anything-Goes Martial Artist must accept any challenge at any time!" he agreed.

Kenma raised a brow. "Even if it's unbelievably stupid?" he asked.

"Out of all the types of challenges we've accepted, this one seems like the most down-to-earth," Ranma put his own two cents into this.

"But Soun Tendo is not so craven as to reject a challenge," Soun continued. "I would gladly lay my life on the line to defeat this fiend…although the future of the school is in the hands of Ranma and Akane."

"Hey, Kenma, you wanna help me fight this guy?" asked Ranma, ignoring Soun, much to his bewilderment.

Kenma shrugged. "Sure, dude; we can thump this chump in record time, and have enough time to go get snacks," he replied.

"Unfortunately, I would prefer to use this opportunity to have Ranma and Akane work together to fight this Dojo Destroyer," Soun interrupted the brothers.

"Daddy, you can't be serious, can you?" Akane asked. "I should at least get the chance to defend the dojo's honor myself!"

"I understand your plight, Akane," Soun stated in a sagely manner. "However, even with getting tips from Luna and myself when she isn't busy, this is different. Our schools are on the line, and I'm not sure you alone can handle someone who has destroyed many Dojos in their path."

"Yeahhhhh…if I'm being honest?" Ranma said out loud. "I would be better off on my own."

"Oh? What makes you say that? You stupid jerk!" Akane growled in rising anger.

"Let's see, since we came here, I've faced a wannabe swordsman, Chinese Amazons, a psychotic gymnast, seven lucky gods, a prince of a moving island, an insane principal who throws bombs at people, Happosai, and other crap that would make a normal person go crazy dealing with on a weekly basis!" Ranma stated. "Plus, I've been training on a higher level than you have, and for a longer period."

"He's got a point," Kenma agreed.

"Enough, I've made my decision!" Soun bellowed, startling the teens in the room. "Ranma and Akane will work together in this challenge and that's final!"

"...damn, when did Soun get his spine back?" Aki whispered to Kasumi.

"Father tends to get forceful whenever he wants something done," Kasumi responded.

Both Ranma and Akane had no choice but to relent.

"Fine…" they grumbled as they got up and left. "BUT WE WON'T LIKE IT!"

"This dojo destroyer might just be a blessing in disguise," mused Soun. "It could be what's needed to get Ranma and Akane to stop bickering and put their differences aside."

"Hmm…" This got Genma thinking. What if I were to fashion a disguise, and pass myself off as the dojo destroyer? Ohoho, delightfully devilish, Genma!

"Tendo, you've got a good point there!" he replied with a nod. "If this works, we won't have to worry about the future of our schools!"

"Mm-hm! And maybe those two will learn new things about each other in the process." the Tendo patriarch agreed.

Kenma just rolled his eyes as he got up and left the room.

Later, at school, he was in the middle of gym class, getting ready to do lunges, when…

*brrr-ing-bring~!*

CRASH!

…a familiar red bicycle came careening through the window.

"Nihao, Kenma!" Shampoo greeted Kenma with a friendly smile.

"USE THE DAMN DOOR NEXT TIME!" The gym teacher shouted as the window repair would come out of his paycheck.

"Do I dare ask what brings you here?" Kenma inquired, in mid-lunge.

"I just came to ask a simple question." the chinese amazon explained.

"Then ask away," Kenma replied.

"How would you like to go on a date with me, this saturday?" Shampoo asked while fluttering her eyelashes.

Kenma had never seen her do that before, but it really got his face all red. "W-well…I think that'd be great!" he managed to say, practically on cloud nine.

"Wonderful! How does 2 o'clock sharp sound?" Shamp pondered.

Kenma fished out a TV times section from a newspaper, and leafed through. "...should be good, nothing but golf will be playing at that time," he replied.

"Ugh! Golf! Such a boring sport!" the chinese girl scoffed.

"Hear-hear," Kenma nodded. "But yeah, I can go out with ya, no problem!"

"Yay!" Shampoo hopped as she glomped Kenma to kiss him on the cheek, making him blush an even deeper shade of red.

And so, the next day, he headed out at two PM, carrying some flowers while in formal wear. As he strode down the street, he was whistling Ottodokkoi Nihonbare to himself. [Guess what theme that is. Include answers in the reviews!]

Unaware of that little wrinkle, Genma got ready to put his poorly thought out plan into action.

I know Tendo certainly won't go for this, but if there's someone else who'd be willing to pitch in… the Master, perhaps? No, he's still sore over the last time we teamed up*, and I doubt he'd want to do it again—besides, chances are he'd go too far in an attempt to get revenge.

The portly man then put the finishing touches on his disguise, and draped it over himself: it was a dark cloak with a slit for his eyes to peek through.

Ah, this is a wonderful plan! Genma thought to himself. Why, I can see it now!

DISCLAIMER: The following scene is Genma's imagination. How else can you picture things that would never happen in a million years?

After each trying to take him on, both Ranma and Akane had been toppled by the might of the malevolent Dojo Destroyer.

"You shouldn't have tried to take me on by yourselves!" he laughed from under his cloak. "Was that ever stupid, or what?"

"As much as it hurts to say this, he's right," said Ranma. "Unless we work together…"

"Then there's no way to defeat this great foe!" Akane finished, and then she and Ranma linked their arms together.

"Take this, destroyer!" they both exclaimed as they leapt up and delivered a synchronized kick to his chest, knocking him down. "The Double-Kick of Love!"

And within seconds, the Dojo Destroyer was toppled to the ground, his wickedness overcome by the sheer intensity of their love.

"No matter what…you two…must always…fight…as one…" he wheezed before his eyes fluttered shut.

"We see that now, honorable Dojo Destroyer!" Ranma and Akane said as they gazed into each others' eyes. Could it be love? Could it be a staring contest? Or could it just be a nasty case of the stomach flu?

"Ranma, I was wrong to reject what we have," said Akane, her eyes sparkling. [Can you tell someone's been watching too much shojo anime?]

"As was I," Ranma agreed. "I shouldn't have been so rude to you before…now I see it's you, not Lum or Ukyo, that I truly love. You, and only you!"

"And I only have eyes for you, not Akimitsu," Akane said. "When we get married, maybe he can stay on as a housekeeper, and look after your honorable father."

"That's a brilliant idea!" Ranma beamed. "Oh, Father, I owe you the world for all that you've done to help me!"

DISCLAIMER: We are now exiting La-La Land. We are now re-entering reality, folks. Take a few minutes to stand up and shake your head, clear out the cobwebs and whatnot. Barf bags have been provided, and we apologize if that made you nauseous. It made me nauseous just thinking about it!

"Hahaha! It's foolproof, I tell you! Absolutely foolproof!" Genma bellowed, breaking into a victorious laugh.

However, he was completely unaware of a massive, bulky figure literally standing behind him, not taking kindly to Genma's moronic plan.

"...why do I get the feeling someone's watching me?" Genma mused, raising a brow.

MEANWHILE…

Kenma strode over to the Nekohanten and opened the door, only to be glomped by Shampoo.

"You're here!" the amazon said as she drowned her boyfriend in kisses.

Kenma giggled giddily. "Well sure, why wouldn't I be?" he asked her.

Cologne smirked. "OK, you two, take it outside, wouldja?" she responded playfully.

"Will do, grandmother!" Shamp said as she moved with Kenma outside.

"So, where exactly are we going?" Kenma asked.

"I was thinking that we could go see a movie," suggested Shampoo.

"Hmm, okay," nodded Kenma. "Sounds good to me!"

Plus it should eat up a good deal of time, he thought.

"Come on, we can take my bike," Shampoo said as she took it off of the rack and hopped on.

"Fine by me!" Kenma beamed as he changed into his monkey form and hopped in the basket. "So let's go-go-go!"

And with that, they happily rode off to the movie theater.

BACK AT THE DOJO…

The real Dojo Destroyer was giving Genma one hell of a beating. This was not a fight, this was a beatdown. A veritable slaughter, even! The fat man's face was now battered and bloody, while bearing a black eye and a few broken teeth…not to mention shattered glasses.

"I think…I may have bitten off more than I can chew..." Genma said groggily, but since his teeth had been punched in, it came out as muffled gibberish.

"Just for this pitiful display, I think I'll take something of yours…" the Dojo Destroyer mused…and then his eyes drifted towards the outdoor sign. "And you'll get it back when I get a real fight from this run-down shack you call a dojo."

Then, he tossed Genma aside like a used towel, and headed out the door before he tore the Tendo Dojo sign from the wall.

"See ya around!" he guffawed.

Genma lifted his broken, battered head enough to see him leaving. This…did not go as I had hoped… he thought.

"Hey, wood-for-brains!" Akane called out as she ran in. "You're not taking our sign on my watch!"

"Huh?" the giant assailant turned around and walked towards Akane. "And just who are you supposed t'be?"

Akane took a defensive stance. "I am Akane Tendo, daughter of Soun, and heir to the Tendo School of Indiscriminate Grappling!" she declared.

The Dojo Destroyer clutched his sides and let off a thunderous chortle. "You mean you're supposed to inherit this pile of kindling?" he laughed.

"She's not alone," Ranma called out, landing right next to Akane. "And what do you think you're doing stealing the sign, ya jerk?!"

The Dojo Destroyer smirked. "Normally, I challenge a dojo and take their sign after I defeat them as a trophy…however, this fat bastard here—" the Destroyer stated as he pointed to Genma. "Decided to dress up like me and mock me! So I took offense to that, cut out the middleman and beat him to a pulp."

Upon hearing that, everyone turned and glared at Genma, ready to beat him some more.

"So, now that everyone is here," Dojo Destroyer said as he glared at the duo. "Which one of you shall be my next defeat?"

"As much as it hurts, Akane, looks like we gotta work together to beat him," sighed Ranma.

"Fat chance!" Akane spat. "I'm supposed to inherit the dojo, it's my duty! And frankly, I'm fucking sick of Daddy assuming I can't do jack shit without you holding my hand every goddamn step of the way! Does he think THAT little of me?!"

"Puh-lease! I've seen the way you fight," Ranma retorted. "Hell, I've even fought you myself, and I know for a fact that you don't stand a chance against this guy!"

"Well, when have you EVER said anything to me that isn't insulting me or calling me 'built like a stick' and calling me a 'macho chick'?!" Akane spat. "You wanna know why we would never work as a team? Because we have NOTHING POSITIVE to say to each other! All we do is insult the other!"

"Oh, yeah? Well, everytime I even try to help you or offer anything, you shoot me down hard and tell me that I'm 'a pervert' and that 'you can do everything on your own' when you've barely learned any advanced techniques in years! Always doing the same katas and brick-breaking moves and thinking you're the strongest person in Nerima!" Ranma barked at Akane.

"As fascinating as this is…" yawned the Dojo Destroyer, a finger in his ear. "...I came looking for a fight, not to see this therapy session in the making, and I intend to get that fight. Hopefully sometime this century, before I die of boredom?"

"FINE!" Akane and Ranma shouted in unison.

"Good," smirked the Dojo Destroyer as he got into position. "And for wasting my time with your little quarrel, you'd better make it interesting—or I won't just take your sign, I'll BREAK it too!"

Ranma and Akane got into position too, before launching themselves at the Dojo Destroyer. However, before they could land the first blow, Akane ran into Ranma's attempt at a leap.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" the tomboy yelled.

"What?! You ran into me!" The ponytailed boy spat back before being sent flying by a right hook, with Akane following after.

"How do you two expect to fight me when you're too busy fighting each other?" the hulking fighter bellowed as he came charging at the two like a freight train…or rather, like the boulder from Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Both Ranma and Akane jumped out of the way, in the nick of time, seconds before their assailant smashed into the wall.

"Ranma! Akane!" Soun shouted at the duo. "You have to work together! Only with your combined techniques can you truly defeat him! You must perform the Legendary Double-Kick of Justice!"

"Double-kick…of love!" Genma coughed out.

"Huh?" Ranma and Akane asked.

"Did you know about this?" inquired Akane.

"How would I? This is the first I'm hearing of it!" Ranma replied.

"Double-Kick of Justice…?" Nabiki asked, doubting the name.

"What is that, father?" Kasumi asked.

"A technique said to allow two fighters to defeat their opponents in one final move," Soun explained. "Many have attempted this technique, but none have quite perfected such a move, yet."

Before Ranma and Akane could try to argue anymore, the Dojo Destroyer got back up and through the hole he made in the wall. "That barely tickled."

"How thick is this guy's skull?" Akane asked.

"Probably thicker than Kuno's." Ranma suggested.

"...and you expected THEM to be able to do it?" Nabiki asked, incredulous..

"Admittedly, I forgot to properly explain the technique..." said Soun.

"Oh, you forgot, Daddy!" Nabiki laughed. "...well, they're screwed, then."

The Destroyer then started throwing his signs at Ranma and Akane, who ducked and dodged them while advancing forward.

"HAAAAAHH!" Akane roared as she charged at her enormous opponent and threw a barrage of punches. Naturally, the Destroyer just blocked the punches with no issue, but he let just one hit him.

He's not even phased! The tomboy thought as her face took on a shocked expression.

"My turn!" the giant said with a smirk as he raised his arms up and slammed them down on Akane, who managed to catch them. But it was clear that she couldn't hold them for long.

"Gangway!" Ranma called out as he leapt in the and landed in front of Akane, delivering another flurry of punches. Still to no avail.

"That tickled!" The giant chuckled as he launched another attack using the signs he collected at Ranma. Ranma tried to leap away from the attack, but accidentally bumped into a charging Akane, causing both of them to stumble, fall down and botch the attack.

Kenma, wherever you are, you better get back here fast... The older Saotome brother thought as he leapt back to get some distance. Because whatever we're doing isn't cutting the mustard!

Back at the movie theater, Shampoo and Kenma were still watching their film, but Kenma couldn't shake the sudden feeling that something was wrong.

"Here comes the best part!" exclaimed Shampoo.

"Eh?" Kenma asked, shooting to attention.

The couple on-screen both leaned in for a kiss while romantic music played in the background.

"That was the best part!" Shampoo said with an ear-to-ear smile.

"Yeah?" asked Kenma. "I guess so…sorry, I'm kinda distracted."

"Is everything okay?" Shampoo asked in worry, snuggling up to Kenma as the film played.

"Yeah, but I can't help but feel like something could be wrong," Kenma replied.

"What could be wrong? You're on a nice date with your girlfriend, we're having a fun time, and no one is interrupting us." Shampoo listed off.

"That's the thing, this is Nerima," Kenma pointed out. "Normally I can't get a moment's peace with my guard down. And that usually means something's not right!"

"Sad, but true." Shampoo agreed.

"Ranma needs me," Kenma declared as he stood up.

"We'd better get going, then. Come on!" the chinese amazon whispered as she got up from her seat and carefully made her way to the exit, with Kenma following behind.

"Think you can gimme a lift?" Kenma asked.

"Sure thing!" the purple-haired girl responded as she got her bike.

Kenma turned into a monkey and got into the basket. "Ready!" he exclaimed.

"Hold on to your tail!" Shampoo said as she put on her helmet and zipped away.

As the bike pedaled on, Kenma began to sing. [And you out there, sing along if you know the words and melody!]

Semaru Shokkā, Jigoku no gu~ndan

Warera wo nerau Kuroi kage

Sekai no heiwa wo Mamoru tame

Gō gō rettsu gō Kagayaku mashin

Rider...JUMP! Rider...KICK!

Kamen Rider, Kamen Rider

Rider...Ri-der!

MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE DOJO…

It goes without saying that Ranma and Akane's attempts at fighting the Dojo Destroyer weren't exactly a smash hit.

"I was expecting more of a challenge from you two!" the hulking martial artist said as he casually brushed the dust off of his shoulder. "If this is the best the Tendo Training Hall has to offer, then I won't even bother keeping the sign…it'd be better off as termite food!"

"Damn it! Nothing's worked so far!" Akane grunted, while rubbing a sore spot on her head.

"I can't believe saying this, Akane. But I agree with you," replied Ranma. "We could really use some help right about now!"

Outside, Shampoo was still pedaling towards the Dojo, when Kenma lifted his hand, prompting her to stop. Shampoo brought the bike skidding to a halt, and Kenma used that sudden jolt to catapult himself flying as he curled into a ball…

CRASH!

…and came flying in through a window in human form, landing expertly on the dojo floor as he stuck his hands out in a Y-pose.

"YEEEEAH!" he exclaimed, ecstatic. "TELL ME SOMEONE CAUGHT THAT!"

"Gotcha covered," Nabiki said, holding up the camera she had.

"Slammin'!" Kenma did a little fist-pump before he glanced up. "So! You're this Dojo Destroyer guy I've been hearing about, yeah?"

"That's right! And who are you?" the Destroyer asked.

Kenma gave a little chuckle. "Some folks call me 'Wukong', others call me 'Yattaro', but you can call me…" he sprang onto his tail and let out a screech. "...Kenma Saotome!"

"Well, Kenma Saotome, I really hope you can give me a better fight than these two amateurs!" the Dojo Destroyer remarked.

"Don't worry," said Kenma. "I absolutely will."

"Better late than never, I guess…" Ranma said as he got back up and assumed his fighting stance.

"Hang on! I'm supposed to fight him too!" Akane shouted as she got to her feet, only to flinch as her hand throbbed in pain.

"Nothing doing," said Aki. "You're going to ice that hand."

"But I can still fight!" insisted Akane.

"And how's that been working out for you so far?" asked Aki, his tone firm.

Akane was about to retort, but she quickly realized that her boyfriend had a point.

"Alright, big bro, you ready?" Kenma asked, cracking his knuckles.

"Born ready!" Ranma replied.

"OK, what's the plan to fight him?"

"Remember that one trick from the 3rd grade?"

"Which one? We had a lotta tricks back then!"

"I mean the one where I pushed somebody and you'd trip 'em' up."

"Oh, right—that trick we used on Gambler King. Yeah, I remember."

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall!" said Ranma, as Kenma headed behind the hulking opponent.

"Whatever you two are plotting, it better be worth the wait!" the Dojo Destroyer said, getting very impatient.

"Yeah, alright!" Kenma said. "NOW!"

With a shout, Ranma tensed his fists and got a running start before he lunged into action. As the Dojo Destroyer tried to block the attempt using Dojo signs, he failed to notice the faint as Kenma crouched down behind him.

Jumping up to the giant's level, Ranma punched him in the face, sending him toppling backwards over the crouched Kenma, which caused him to fall on the ground.

"Really? Childish moves?" The Dojo Destroyer growled, trying to get back up. "Is that the best this dojo has to offer?!"

"Not by a long shot!" Kenma shouted before leaping up to the ceiling, before kicking off the ceiling and landing a hard punch to the giant opponent.

"Hey! Hold still, will ya?!" the Dojo Destroyer bellowed as he gathered up his collected signs, and got ready to attack again.

The attack was too close for comfort as Ranma leapt up and saved his brother before the signs could hurt him too much.

"Oh no, if they don't perform the legendary Double-Kick, then the dojo is lost forever!" Soun cried as he held Genma.

"There goes our retirement!" Genma cried like the big baby he was.

(Insert Kamen Rider OP 1: Let's Go! RIDER KICK)

[Once again, sing along if you know the words!]

"Ranma…" Kenma stated as he stepped forward. "Let's try it together."

"You sure about this, bro?" Ranma asked before he saw the fiery look in his brother's eyes.

"Of course—our bond is stronger than steel!" Kenma stated as he helped Ranma up. "Let's go!"

"Right!" Ranma shouted as the Saotome Brothers jumped into the air, performing a somersault in the air before extending a single foot out to kick the Dojo Destroyer.

As the Dojo Destroyer was using his style to try and block the attack with Dojo signs, he paused for a single second; when he saw Ranma and Kenma together, a ghostly image overlapped with them…the ghostly vision of two green armored warriors with bug themed masks and red scarves were in place of his opponents, causing a tear to leave his eye. "It's, it's perfect... just like the warriors of legend!" he gasped.

The two kicks landed on the giant's face and chest respectively, knocking him over and causing him to crash onto the floor with a thunderous boom.

Or rather…

CHOKA-THOOM!
[whatever works for you, really]

Ranma and Kenma landed back on the ground after performing the finishing move, catching their breaths before seeing their giant opponent down for the count. "We did it!"

"They did it!" Soun shouted as he went up and hugged the brothers for saving the Dojo. As they all celebrated the victory, they heard a noise coming from the Dojo Destroyer.

The Dojo Destroyer was laying on the ground in defeat, as the Tendo and Saotome's all heard that he was crying.

"Is—is he crying?" Kenma asked in disbelief. "I'm not the only one seeing this, right?"

"Serves the crybaby right for messing with the Anything Goes School!" Genma boasted as he bellowed with laughter.

"N-no," the Destroyer sat up as he whipped away his tears. "These are tears of joy."

"Tears…of joy?" Ranma asked in shock.

"What the hell are you so happy about?!" Akane yelled.

"You performed the Legendary Double-Kick perfectly," the Destroyer announced, causing everyone in the Dojo to be surprised by that outburst. "Before it hit me, I saw the phantom image of the creators of that technique…I haven't seen it performed with my own eyes since I was a mere child. I saw that move performed by those legendary warriors in person when they saved me from a monster."

"They're real?" Aki asked in disbelief.

"Of course they are, they're working in the shadows to combat evil wherever it may lurk!" The Dojo Destroyer shouted. "I accept defeat and vow to never attack your dojo or any other dojos again after today. Here's your sign back."

And so, he tossed back the Tendo Dojo sign before he got up and left.

"...okay, he's gone, that's great," Akane threw her hands up. "But now I have something to get off my chest. What's with this whole stupid engagement thing anyway, Daddy? Why don't you trust me to carry on the school? Especially because I'm the only daughter who gives a shit about fighting?"

Soun sighed at this, knowing this was gonna come up eventually. "Alright…it sort of involves your mother," he began.

"Mom…?" Akane asked in total shock.

"When your mother was sick, I was a mess. Running the Dojo, doing the books, shopping, making sure your mother made it to the doctor's appointments, everything." Soun explained as he remembered those days. "When I told her about the engagement between our family and Genma's, she…she asked me to make sure that you girls would have a safe and secure future with Ranma or Kenma. I guess when the boys came to us, I felt I needed to see it through no matter what. Even if I was a bit forceful at times."

"...a 'bit'?" asked Kenma dryly.

"Alright, more than a bit," Soun admitted.

Akane sighed. "...okay, I get that," she replied. "But still...it feels like you have no faith in your own family. Besides, I want to prove that I don't have to be shackled up with someone just to keep the dojo going."

"That's understandable, but your fighting skills are average at best." the Tendo patriarch stated plainly. "Though to be fair, I've neglected to fully train you."

"Then maybe you should remedy that," said Akane.

"Alright then, so be it." Soun nodded. "I'll train you properly, starting tomorrow."

"Isn't that wonderful?" asked Nodoka, startling everyone with her sudden arrival. "I'm glad things worked out so well for everyone!"

"GAH!" the boys exclaimed.

"Yeesh, Mom!" exclaimed Ranma. "Where have you been?"

"Who, me?" Nodoka asked, remembering footsteps, a scream, the sound of steel meeting flesh, and a body hitting the floor in chunks. "Just had to take care of a tough job, and on my way back, I figured I'd check the mail."

Fishing through her robe, she pulled out an envelope.

"Guess I got a let-ter, wonder who it's from~!" she sang as she used her finger to open it up, and pulled out a piece of paper.

Heya, Nodoka. Been a while, ain't it? Atsuko's kept in touch with us, and wouldn't ya know it? This is the first we're hearin' that you got not one, but TWO sons! Way to go, little sis! So we thought to ourselves, and we said, "selves, we owe it to our little sis to let her whole family spend time with our nephews!" So, we decided that we're gonna be bringin' not only ourselves, but the rest of the family, AND Ma and Pa to visit! See ya in a couple days…can't wait to catch up and get the boys acquainted. Maybe if Pa likes 'em, they could have a spot in th' Family Business!

Lotsa love, from your big brothers:
—Daiki, Kenzo, and Sota Shirogane

"Well, I'll be!" Nodoka commented. "Looks like we'll be having some visitors!"

"Niiice," smirked Atsuko.

"To think, we'll be getting to meet your relatives," Soun commented. "This should be quite exciting!"

Genma was turning pale by the second. Nodoka's family didn't like him very much in the past, and he sincerely doubted that their opinions of him had changed in the time since.

"Yeah…" he gulped. "Real exciting…"

And on Genma's pale-faced shock, we…IRIS-OUT!

ON THE NEXT EPISODE:

And you thought Shampoo was a tough opponent…wait until you meet her little sisters! The pink-haired one is Ling-Ling, the turquoise-haired one is Lung-Lung, and they're looking to find the one who beat Shampoo. What are they gonna do when they learn just who that is?

Is that the only problem Ranma and Kenma will have to face? Oh, if ONLY! As you just learned, Nodoka's side of the family is coming to visit, and wait until they meet their nephews!

It's a double-trouble double header on the next Ranma 1/2: The Life and Times of Kenma Saotome:

Family Reunions X2!
Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung Make Their Move!

Read, review, and share with your friends, okay? And we'll see you next time. We really need the extra reviews…and be detailed, alright?

TEYANDEE!