Chapter 24 Plot, Plans, Betrayals
Kenichi and Miu had never faced a scene like this in all their adventures.
When they took the last bus to the port area indicated by Ryuto and got off one stop early to proceed on foot and avoid drawing attention, they had no idea what they would encounter.
A hundred henchmen were busy loading various crates of mysterious materials onto the ship, as well as seven crystal coffins containing their drugged friends: the members of the Shimpaku Alliance (Takeda, Ukita, Freya, Thor, Siegfried, Kisara) plus Renka.
That alone made them realize they had made a mistake and were powerless to do anything.
But then, out of the ship "POSEIDON" came none other than Kushinada Mikumo, one of the most dangerous members of One Shadow Nine Fists.
First, she spoke with a mysterious, shriveled old woman who had arrived there for some strange reason.
Then, she started fighting her, unleashing the most colossal clash of opposing Ki they had ever felt. At that point, it became clear to the two teens that the situation was spiraling out of control.
"A-Aw, man! What should we do? This wasn't part of the plan!" Kenichi stammered.
Miu seemed equally impressed by the skill level of the two combatants and confused by the old woman's appearance, but she quickly snapped out of it, recognizing an opportunity.
"Take advantage of it, that's what!" exclaimed the blonde. "I don't entirely understand what's happening, but this is the kind of distraction you don't see every day! We might never get another chance to slip under someone like Mikumo's nose! Kenichi, we need to infiltrate that ship!"
"WHAT? Are you serious? But… how do you plan to do that?"
"Like this," said Miu, pulling out a small knife and starting to pry open one of the crates on the dock. "Help me remove the lid: we'll dump the contents into the sea, taking advantage of the chaos, then climb inside and close it from the inside. The Yami henchmen themselves will load us onto the ship without realizing it."
"You want to stow away on the ship? Miu! If we do this, we might not be able to get off again!"
"I'm not letting that ship sail!" the girl clarified. "But getting on board is the only way to try to free our friends and then escape."
"I don't like it," Kenichi said. "I know I was the one insisting we come, but… maybe the Masters were right. We're risking getting captured without achieving anything. We should contact them using the transmitters and get at least one of them to come here and help us."
"I'm afraid they wouldn't make it in time now," Miu replied. "This might be our only chance.
Otherwise… we might never see our friends again."
That realization brought silence between the two of them.
Kenichi cast fiery glances toward the gangway.
The henchmen, carefully avoiding the colossal fight taking place on the square, were loading the crystal coffins one by one. At that moment, they were carrying Renka's.
Kenichi turned back to look at Miu. The girl had already stepped one leg into the opened crate. She looked at him with a calm gaze and held out her hand.
"Do you trust me?"
A second passed.
Kenichi took her outstretched hand.
The Ryozampaku team arrived at the port at that moment.
At ANOTHER port, actually, fifty kilometers away.
The ship onto which crates and crystal coffins were being loaded in this case was called "OCEANUS."
Like the "POSEIDON," onto which Ranma, Kenichi, and Miu had unknowingly infiltrated, the "OCEANUS" was an old cruise ship completely repurposed for a different purpose.
However, this one was in an area of the port designated for dismantling disused ships. All around were massive pieces of equipment, gigantic cranes, and enormous warehouses.
At night, access to such an area should have been prohibited. And yet.
Another hundred people were conducting the loading operations.
From their hiding spot, the Masters and students could see that there were quite a few crystal coffins. Too many, actually.
It was possible to distinguish eight coffins containing the Valkyries and their respective weapons. But then there were many others with people they didn't recognize:
there were two beautiful girls dressed in kimonos, with samurai swords at their sides; a kind of modern samurai, similar to Kuno but completely bald, also with a katana; a boy with long, straight hair next to a nine-section staff typical of Kung Fu; a pair of teens, around Miu and Kenichi's age and vaguely resembling them (though the girl was brunette), wearing futuristic tactical suits with no apparent weapons; and a couple of young men who seemed too old, masculine, and muscular for the school uniforms they wore—one with his face hidden by a cap and a katana at his side, the other with three scars on each cheek and a spear.*
From around the corner, the Masters held their breath, though they exchanged skeptical glances.
"Tsk! I don't like this," Sakaki said. "Hey, Akisame, is it just me, or…?"
"No, you're not wrong," replied the Philosopher of Jujitsu.
"Excuse me, would someone mind explaining this to me too?" Ryoga asked.
"From what we can see here, many of the people we know are missing," Mousse interjected. "And as if that weren't enough, those we do see—and the others we don't recognize—all have one thing in common..."
"They use weapons!" Kensei growled. "And I don't see my Renka or anyone else who doesn't use them! Hey, Saiga," he said, turning, "what's the meaning of this? Did you take us to the wrong place? Did you know they were organizing like this? Or..."
But Saiga observed the scene impassively and said nothing, reflecting deeply.
"Bu-but... that's not necessarily the case," Ryoga stammered, doubtful. "Maybe the other Shimpaku Alliance members haven't been brought here yet. Or maybe they managed to escape. Or perhaps they've already been loaded onto the ship. I don't dare hope they were never targeted, but..."
"Hey, excuse me," Akisame asked, "but where's Kuno?"
"APA!" Apachai exclaimed. "He went over there," the giant Thai indicated.
Indeed, Kuno had left the hiding spot and was calmly walking, slowly, right in the middle of the loading area.
He held a red rose in one hand, appearing to sniff it, and his sheathed katana in the other.
As the henchmen's heads turned one by one, wondering what this well-dressed guy with the pompadour was doing there, Tatewaki began reciting poetry.
"The sultry summer day
seems as if even the clouds wish to rest
in the arms of the great Buddha."*
If the henchmen had been puzzled before, they now thought they were hallucinating.
"What's he saying? Is he crazy?"
"Summer day? But it's spring! At ten at night!"
"And anyway, what's this guy doing here? Alone?"
The Ryozampaku Masters and their friends from Nerima couldn't believe their eyes and struggled to hold back, their faces contorting with shock and frustration. This was true for Ryoga, Mousse, Sakaki, Akisame, and Kensei.
Meanwhile, Apachai, Shigure, and Saiga seemed unfazed.
"Oh... he's... gone on his own," Shigure observed nonchalantly.
"SHIGURE! Can't you control your student better?"
"Sorry..."
At that moment, Kuno threw the rose he had been smelling onto the ground and raised his sheathed sword, pointing it in an accusatory arc toward the men surrounding him.
"LISTEN! You miserable servants of Evil! I command you to release the Delightful Eight Valkyries you've kidnapped, along with all the other people you've captured, and of course, the sweet Renka, daughter of Kensei Ma of Ryozanpaku!
If you don't… you shall incur my wrath and suffer divine punishment!
This is the word of Tatewaki Kuno, known as the BLUE THUNDER!"
And at that moment, in the serene night, it really seemed as though a blue thunder echoed behind him.
"What did he just say?"
"The Ryozanpaku? He's with the Ryozanpaku!"
"Alright, let's get him!"
By now, the others were understandably irritated.
Ryoga and Mousse were practically grinding their teeth.
How is it possible… that this idiot… is still doing these kinds of things after all these years?
A semicircle of men with raised fists—about twenty—began to close in around the samurai.
"Come at me, fools!" he shouted, unsheathing his sword. "I do not fear you, for it is not numbers that guarantee victory, but the purity of one's heart—and my heart is pure!"
"GET HIM!" they yelled, all jumping at him at once.
But at that moment, two figures dashed to his side, one on his right and one on his left.
The attackers found themselves flung backward, repelled as if by an invisible wall, landing flat on the ground without understanding why.
Ryoga and Mousse had launched themselves into the fray, positioning themselves on either side of the samurai, all three standing back-to-back to face the attackers.
"Tsk! Why do you always have to make a mess, you idiot?" Mousse scolded him.
"I didn't need your help," Tatewaki replied serenely. "I could have defeated these amateurs on my own."
"Yeah, right! They would've turned you into mincemeat! Thank your lucky stars we're softhearted!" Ryoga snapped.
At that moment, the thugs returned to the attack, and even those further away, who had been working, noticed the new intruders and rushed over to lend a hand.
A single flash passed through the eyes of the three Ryozanpaku students.
As the human tide began to crash down on them, each one knew exactly what to do, like a well-oiled machine.
Ryoga began throwing punches and kicks at anyone who approached.
Mousse pulled out one of his weighted ropes, wielding it like a whip to disrupt the attackers' rhythm or knock them to the ground.
Kuno went on the offensive, swinging wide arcs to cover as much space as possible and strike multiple enemies at once.
In no time, a full-blown brawl erupted.
The Yami thugs charged in waves against the three, only to realize too late that they were like moths drawn to a flame.
The pace of their attacks continued to intensify, while three rather large auras of Ki spontaneously began to glow on the scene, and the attackers were flung backward like paper balls launched from a slingshot.
Meanwhile, the Ryozanpaku Masters had resigned themselves to waiting for the skirmish to end.
They had calmed down, sitting back to enjoy the show while munching on chips and popcorn, commenting on the scene—and, in Shigure and Apachai's case, waving small flags and cheering, "GO! GO!"
Saiga looked moderately pleased with what he saw.
Within minutes, even the last thug had been knocked out. The unlucky criminals were piled into four distinct heaps of unconscious human material.
The three young men had barely worked up a sweat.
"Phew! We did it! That wasn't hard!" Ryoga commented.
"Obviously! You had me on your side," Kuno said confidently.
"Oh, shut up! Next time, we'll let them take you down! In fact, try this again, and I'll take you down!" Mousse yelled irritably.
At that moment, however, two things happened.
The first was that, as if on cue, SIX figures darted at incredible speed past the Nerima group—first forward, then back.
Before the dust had even settled, Ryoga, Mousse, and Kuno saw that the Masters and Saiga had retrieved all sixteen coffins and moved them away from the ship, toward the port exit.
Kensei and Akisame were examining the conditions of the people inside.
"Hmm… they're fine… but they've undoubtedly been drugged and kept in this state, like under anesthesia," Kensei observed.
"Yes, and the coffins are sturdy, made of a special material," Akisame analyzed. "…Certainly, there are security measures if someone tries to force them open from the outside, but maybe…"
And the second thing that happened was that, in the eerie silence that followed, the sound of clapping hands was heard.
Nine pairs of eyes turned toward the ship, where they saw armed figures emerging, staring at them with malicious glee in their feral eyes… the Eight Shining Executioner Blades of Yami!
Ranma wasn't too happy with the situation.
He was in the hold, yes, but it was an immensely large hold, with stacks of crates as tall as multi-story buildings, and completely dark.
He proceeded cautiously, feeling his way around to find the nearest exit.
He dared not make noise or punch through the bulkheads for fear of alerting the crew.
His mission depended on stealth.
Miu and Kenichi were quite uncomfortable. They were wedged together in a way that would have been embarrassing… if they had the time to worry about it.
Instead, when the light streaming through the crate's closure suddenly darkened, both their hearts skipped a beat.
"Hey, this crate isn't sealed properly."
"Damn, it must've tipped over during that mess."
"Wait, I'll grab the nail gun and fix it."
And so, they were securely sealed in, and everything went dark.
They were carried inside with the rest.
Kushinada Mikumo could hardly believe it, but she had found an opponent worthy of her, someone who could hold their own despite their age. She couldn't have lost even an ounce of strength since her youth.
At the same time, she kept casting fleeting, worried glances at the POSEIDON.
When she noticed that the loading operations were almost complete, she didn't hesitate.
"HEY, YOU! THIS IS AN ORDER! WEIGH ANCHOR AND DEPART IMMEDIATELY, EVEN WITHOUT ME! THE MISSION TAKES ABSOLUTE PRIORITY!"
The crew collectively started in surprise, then began hurrying to prepare for departure, like ants in a hive.
The two women fought in circles, each preventing the other from getting too close to the ship.
When the deep TUUUUU-TUUUUU of departure was heard, Mikumo allowed herself a satisfied smirk.
"It seems I've won after all. The ship has set sail."
"Umph! Do you think so? And who decided that those were the conditions for victory?" Cologne retorted. "To me, it seems I said I'd be satisfied as long as I stopped you—and only you—from boarding that ship. And you're still here, aren't you?"
"But… it's useless! There's no one on that ship who could hinder our plans!"
"Tsk! Are you really so sure? Could you swear that no one boarded that ship while we were fighting?"
"No one worth worrying about, anyway," the woman replied. "Anyone below Grandmaster level isn't capable of handling what's on that ship. It would take a genuine miracle to save those kids."
"Uhm… who knows? In my long life, I've witnessed many strange things… and it wouldn't be the first time someone unexpected… managed to perform a miracle!"
The members of the Executioner Blades stood on the deck of the OCEANUS wearing sardonic grins and predatory stares.
Two or three of them were still clapping their hands.
"Well, look who we have here," one of them started, his head bare but his body clad in traditional Japanese armor. "None other than the famous Saiga Furinji. To what do we owe such an honor?"
The man with a ponytail and a scar on his face was Rin Tachibana, Grandmaster of Eastern Polearm Weapons and a former student of the old Kosaka. As such, he considered himself a "brother-in-arms" to Shigure, despite their very different paths.
Saiga replied, "You shouldn't be so pleased to see me, considering I thwarted your plans the last time."
"That's true," said a muscular woman with a voluptuous figure, carrying a longbow on her shoulder. "But last time, your father, the great Hayato Furinji, was also with you. I don't see him here today. How come? Does he have other engagements?"
She was Mildred Lawrence, Grandmaster of the Longbow.
"Tsk! What bastards," muttered Sakaki.
"It's true, my father isn't here," Saiga admitted calmly. "Just as I don't see your leader, Oganosuke Yogi of the Twin Blades, perhaps the only man in the world capable of matching him. What happened? Has he grown tired of your company?"
"Tch!" Mildred grimaced in irritation. "Actually…"
"Enough!" snapped a man with a ponytail hunched over his shoulders, wearing sunglasses. "From the way he's talking, it's clear he already knows."
"Knows what? Oh, maybe the fact that Oganosuke disagreed with your plan but let you proceed anyway. And that, a few days ago, he received an offer he couldn't refuse—a billion yen* to eliminate an army of terrorists in Equatorial Africa, allowing a thousand refugees to find safety in a UN-protected zone.
A task that will keep him occupied for a few more days, I'm afraid… and by the time he's done, he might discover that the account where he received the payment has been frozen by the authorities…"
"What? That was YOU? To get him out of the way?" the blonde woman shouted.
"Well done, Saiga," commented Akisame.
"He certainly lives up to his reputation," Kensei affirmed.
"I simply wanted to face the challenge on equal footing.
Now, tell me: Renka, the daughter of Kensei Ma here, and the Shimpaku Alliance captives—where are they? Are they on that ship, or… on the other one?"
"AHAHA! You don't seem to be as infallible as your reputation suggests," mocked a young woman. "That's right—the other hostages are on a different ship! By now, they must already have set sail… and you'll never be able to find them!"
The speaker was Raki Hoshinano, dressed in a traditional kimono from which her bare legs emerged. Her hair was tied up, and she rested a naginata on her shoulder.
At her words, the members of Ryozanpaku gasped in surprise and dismay.
"Saiga! Did you know about this?" Kensei accused him.
"Let's say I suspected it, Kensei, but I couldn't be certain.
I had reason to believe that, depending on the number of captives, they might use one ship or two.
However, even I couldn't predict exactly who or how many would be taken, and thus whether or not they would use the second ship.
Lastly, I knew that, in any case, most of the enemies would be here, so I absolutely needed to bring Ryozanpaku in full force."
"And you kept such information from us?" Sakaki shouted incredulously.
"You could at least have taken precautions!" Akisame added.
"Actually, I did. I sent Tochoumaru with that message."
"What? You mean that…"
The ship had already disappeared beyond the horizon. The two women were now dueling purely for the thrill of besting each other, without success.
Meanwhile, a noise in the distance resembled the sound of a tornado.
Kushinada Mikumo noticed it and tried to act. But Cologne stopped her.
Hayato Furinji (with Tochoumaru on his shoulder) passed by them like a speeding train. As he overtook them, he didn't miss the chance to give the elderly stranger a nod of thanks, gesturing as if tipping an imaginary hat, while winking and flashing a dazzling smile.
Cologne blushed, feeling her heart flutter. Mikumo sighed in exasperation.
Hayato continued running across the surface of the sea as if it were solid ground, following the very visible trail left by the POSEIDON.
Within minutes, he, too, would vanish beyond the horizon.
"Aah, what a man," the old Amazon sighed. "If only I were fifty years younger…"
Mikumo watched him out of the corner of her eye as he disappeared.
Things are starting to go wrong… but at least there are those two on board… and in the worst-case scenario…
This time, it was the Executioner Blades' turn to feel a surge of shock.
"The Invincible Superman is heading for the other ship?" Mildred exclaimed.
"Damn… this isn't good at all," Tachibana growled.
Ryozanpaku, on the other hand, was overjoyed.
"So… Renka will be saved?" Kuno asked.
"That's fantastic! A masterstroke!" Ryoga cheered.
"Amazing! You've saved Ranma and thwarted our enemies in a single move!" Sakaki congratulated him.
But as Saiga deflected their praise, their enemies refused to back down.
"Are you really so sure that will be enough, I wonder?" Seitaro Raigo interjected. "By now, you must have realized that this ship was designated for the transport of armed captives, while the other one carried those who fight barehanded. The remaining members of 'One Shadow, Nine Fists' are there, as you know, including Kushinada Mikumo… she can at least delay the old Furinji to let the ship escape."
A surprising voice responded to that claim.
"You'd be right if only the old Furinji had gone, in fact… but that's not the case."
It was Mousse who spoke.
Now, ALL the present parties stared at him in astonishment.
"What do you mean?" Akisame asked him.
"I mean that, by now, at the dock of the other ship… what's it called? Ah, yes, POSEIDON, is that correct? There's another person there throwing a wrench in your plans… an old Master from the Chinese Amazon clan, whom I personally asked to intervene… roughly at Saiga's level."
This time, the astonishment was unanimous.
"Would you care to explain how you know so much about all this?" Sakaki asked him.
"Gladly. After all, it's the reason I'm here.
A few months ago, I left the restaurant where I worked… to forget an impossible love.
I started wandering through various Chinatowns in Japanese cities, frequenting shady places to see if there were mercenary jobs available for someone with my skills.
That's when I first came into contact with some members of Yami… and they tried to recruit me!"
At that revelation, silence fell around him.
So, the intercepted communication… was about this...?
"But I didn't accept," continued the young Chinese man, "though I kept good relations with some low-ranking members to gather information… effectively playing DOUBLE AGENT."
This time, no one could believe their ears.
"I had vaguely heard about their project… kidnapping prominent martial artists to use them… and I had noticed their spies even in Nerima… monitoring people who were VERY dear to me… so I decided to throw a wrench in their plans."
"You played a dangerous game," Saiga acknowledged.
"Indeed. But by doing so, I was able to recruit spies—where I come from, lots of people practice martial arts and are willing to do any job for money—to monitor the watchers spying on the future targets.
I started fighting in underground arena matches to earn the money needed to pay my new recruits.
Finally, I went to train at Ryozanpaku itself, the home of their enemies. I figured I needed to improve myself just in case, and if even my old rival Ranma Saotome had trained there, it was clearly the place for me."
Everyone else was speechless.
"When Renka disappeared, I realized their plan had started earlier than expected, so I warned the elder Cologne…
except, unlike Saiga, I didn't realize there were TWO separate ships… I had only discovered one…
I believed we would all be in the same place… but it seems, in the end, that things worked out better this way."
When his story ended, astonishment, excitement, and relief spread among his allies.
I was right… this boy has potential-Akisame thought-At first, Ranma doubted him, though later he changed his mind… and he was right to trust him. Meanwhile, Kenichi correctly sensed that something was off in that earlier meeting…
"Well done, my disciple," Akisame congratulated him.
Ryoga was stunned. He was used to seeing Mousse as a guy who, despite his skills, always made a fool of himself because of his obsession with Shampoo. It was as if, for the first time, he saw him for what he truly was.
Even the Executioner Blades were taken aback.
"You know, Raigo," began Hoshinano, "it's a shame that boy is our enemy… if he had truly joined us, he'd have gone far."
"Indeed," the man agreed, "but unfortunately for him, he'll die today."
And it's fortunate they still don't know about the THIRD person on the ship… we can still turn things around…
"Heh, you know, I just regret one thing," Sakaki interjected, brushing off the tension, "that Ranma isn't here to join the party. When we tell him about this, he won't stand the thought of having missed it."
At that moment, almost as if in response to his words, Sakaki received an incoming call on the earpiece he wore.
"This is Sakaki, roger."
"This is Ranma, roger.
Glad to hear you, Sakaki, though I'd have preferred it under different circumstances."
"RANMA?" eight voices exclaimed in unison.
"What are they still doing?" Mildred muttered, leaning over the edge of the ship. "Chatting on their own, ignoring us?"
"Yeah, starting to feel a little neglected…" Tachibana remarked.
Ranma was trying to break through a metal door that was the only way out of the immense cargo hold.
"That's me. Are you all there? Well, you'll be pleased to know Hayato hasn't killed me yet. Less pleased about the rest of what I'm about to tell you…"
In short order, he briefed them on everything that had happened.
"What? So Ranma's on the other ship too?" Ryoga was stunned.
"This is… what you call a… stroke of… fortune," Shigure declared.
"Oh, certainly… at least until we tell him Hayato is also boarding that ship… the very person he was running from this morning…" Mousse mused.
Akisame quickly explained the situation: Cologne was at the dock, and the team had split to recover the other half of the hostages.
"Roger that, Koetsuji-shishou," Ranma acknowledged. "I'm almost done cracking this door, thanks to Sakaki's lockpicking tools. Soon, I'll resume the infiltration."
"Ranma! Did you see Renka? How is she?" Kensei asked anxiously.
"I only saw her a couple of times, from afar. She was in one of those crystal coffins you described. She seemed sedated, like the others, but otherwise fine."
"Please, my boy. Take care of her. I trust you," Kensei urged.
"Of course, sensei. I'll notify you if there are updates. Over and out."
"Ranma, before you end the transmission, let me give you one last piece of advice," Sakaki chimed in.
"And what's that, Sakaki-sensei?"
"Try not to die"
"Well, that's done. Now, our odds are looking much better," Sakaki remarked optimistically.
At that moment, Saiga received a signal on what appeared to be a wristwatch but was, in reality, an advanced communication device.
He read a message that had just arrived, then shook his head.
"There might be a complication. Remember when I said I couldn't be sure about the number of captives?"
"Yes, and so?"
"I brought you here because I didn't know even during the meeting two hours ago, but the situation has changed since then.
I've just received a message from my informant at Yami's research center.
The place where they used the chemicals smuggled in to synthesize a serum they plan to administer to the captives."
"You mean the first clue in this whole affair? So what?"
"And so, my informant—who, by the way, is Ryuto Asamiya, the former leader of Ragnarok and member of Yomi, as well as Kenichi and Miu's childhood friend—has just informed me that Inspector Honmaki has arrested the remaining scientists there."
"Well, that's good news."
"Yes, but only just now did he manage to verify HOW MANY doses of that mysterious serum had been prepared and therefore HOW MANY captives there actually are."
And having thus confirmed, without a shadow of a doubt, that the Yami had to use two ships, the first thing he did… was send a message to the Ryozanpaku computer to warn us.
This second line he used to communicate with me is encrypted, and he was supposed to use it only if he didn't get a response to the first message. But since it uses a satellite, he had to wait at least half an hour before sending the second message.
However, he claims he did receive a response to the first message, but… without the password we use.
So he realized someone must have replied, but that I wasn't the one present."
A heavy silence filled the group.
"But—" Akisame considered, "if that message arrived when we had already left…"
"Then it must have been Kenichi and Miu: they must have read it and, by now, have thrown themselves into the fray, completely ignoring our orders," Kensei concluded, sighing.
"WHAT?!" Sakaki exclaimed. "Those two idiots! With danger like this! Of course, they couldn't have known that Saiga warned the Elder… nor that Ranma accidentally ended up there… They must have thought intervening was the only way to save the captives.
So… Kenichi is about to meet both Hayato and Ranma!"
"And those three, after this afternoon, won't exactly be happy to see each other, will they?" Saiga added dryly.
A few minutes later, Kenichi and Miu, who had managed—not without difficulty—to break out of the crate from the inside, wandered through the massive cargo hold.
The area was as large as a small neighborhood, with stacks of crates as tall as eight-story buildings. Eventually, they found an exit: an open door.
Miu noticed it had been unlocked from the inside. She furrowed her brow but said nothing.
"Hey, you! Are you planning to just stand there chatting all day?" scolded Mildred, the archer, from the deck of the OCEANUS.
The Ryozanpaku members snapped out of their thoughts and glared fiercely at their enemies.
"TSK! And why shouldn't we? We've got the upper hand here, don't you think? We've recovered the kids you scum kidnapped!
If you want them back, come and get them!
We'd love nothing more than to grant you a rematch for the last time… so tomorrow, Big Lock * will have a whole lot more guests!"
Akisame turned to the disciples and instructed:
"Your task is, of course, to stay out of this fight and get the hostages to safety, as far away as possible. We'll figure out how to free them afterward. And call the National Defense Forces… this place is about to heat up."
"I can imagine what you're plotting," Seitaro Raigo said. "But it won't work."
"On the contrary," Hoshinano countered, "you'll be the ones bringing those prisoners back to us. Because if you don't…"
At that moment, the massive armored figure named Marmaduke emerged, carrying three more crystal coffins from below deck.
The knight then held them suspended over the ship's side, making sure they could all see them.
The man with long curly hair, Edeltraft Von Schiller, drew his massive sword, threatening the lives of the prisoners.
"…we'll kill these three lovely ladies!" Hoshinano finished. "And that would be a real shame! For us, because we'd lose some promising prospects… but I bet your disciples would mind even more."
Nine pairs of eyes from Ryozanpaku focused on the three hostages, but three of them were utterly stunned.
The hostages were Shampoo, Ukyo, and Kodachi.
Ranma had been wandering the corridors of the cruise ship—repurposed as a cargo vessel—for what felt like an eternity.
He moved swiftly but cautiously, yet he hadn't encountered anyone.
Finally, he heard voices around the corner. A small group of guards, at most two.
When they turned the corner, no one was there.
"Ugh! These patrol rounds are so boring… what's even the point now that we've set sail?"
"What are you complaining about? Would you prefer to earn money without lifting a finger? Be glad there's no risk involved."
"Meh! What's with all the effort for these prisoners, anyway?"
Ranma, who had pressed himself against the ceiling like Spider-Man, dropped silently to the ground as soon as the two had passed.
They wore riot gear vests and dark helmets.
He crept up behind them, grabbed their heads, and knocked them together. They dropped to the ground, unconscious, without a sound.
Did I make a mistake? Maybe I should've interrogated them, as Sakaki taught me. No, they seemed clueless… but maybe I have a better idea…
The expressions on their faces said it all.
"Shampoo… that's really Shampoo."
"Ukyo? But… how?"
"Kodachi… that's definitely my sister."
The Ryozanpaku Masters were as shocked as their disciples, but soon, the shock gave way to indignation. And fury.
"They… they kidnapped people important to our students to use them as hostages?"
"Those filthy bastards!" Sakaki growled.
"APA! But we'll rescue them!"
Akisame and Shigure each placed a hand on Mousse's shoulder. The Weapons Master also placed her other hand on Kuno's shoulder.
"Is… is it her?" the woman asked hesitantly.
"Yes, it's really her," Mousse replied, lowering his gaze. "To think I got involved in all this specifically to PREVENT something like this from happening."
"Damn it! Kodachi might be crazy, perverse, narcissistic, selfish, and manipulative," Tatewaki rattled off, "but she's still my sister! A member of the esteemed Kuno family! You'll pay for this!"
Apachai timidly tried to do the same—placing a hand on Ryoga's shoulder to comfort him—but found him more confused than angry.
"But… wait a second… I understand about them… but why ME? Why would I be blackmailed by threatening Ukyo, of all people? She means nothing to me. A friend, sure. Someone I've fought alongside, okay. We have mutual acquaintances, fine.
Will I still reduce you to pieces for this? Absolutely.
But she's not AS important to me as the others are to them. I don't get… the selection criteria."
Though, in his heart, he silently thanked the gods it wasn't Akane or Akari. In that case, he'd have lost his mind.
At that moment, Raki Hoshinano chimed in: "WHAT? According to our intelligence sources… without a doubt, you two… are secretly in love, aren't you? There's no way this is a mistake!"
And she dove into a pink notebook filled with "notes" that were scented and decorated with little hearts.
Her colleagues looked at her, embarrassed on her behalf.
"She's always like this," Tachibana sighed, shaking his head.
Mildred rolled her eyes.
Raigo lowered his head, a vein throbbing visibly on his forehead. They just couldn't maintain the composure and dignity the situation demanded.
To everyone's surprise, Edeltraft came to her defense:
"Our companion is sensitive, romantic, and poetic… it's a positive trait."
"ROMANTIC AND POETIC? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? WHO DO YOU THINK I AM?" Ryoga protested vehemently.
The young woman snapped her notebook shut and shouted back, losing her usual composure. She was flushed and sweating profusely.
"There's no possibility of error! We gathered information, asked around the neighborhood—it's true. You two are in love! Be a man and CONFESS!"
"What the hell are you saying, girl? Ryoga Hibiki doesn't lie! Don't you think I'd know who I'm in love with?"
"GIRL? For your information, I'm twenty-six years old!"
"Then stop acting like you're thirteen!"
Perhaps to put an end to this pathetic scene—or more likely because, as a father, Saiga Furinji had seen enough girls kidnapped for one day—he furrowed his brow, his eyes narrowing to slits.
There was a SWIISHHH sound.
An instant later, he was back.
But now, he held the three crystal coffins containing the hostages under his arm.
The Blade members couldn't believe their eyes.
A moment before, they'd had the hostages at knifepoint; the next moment, they were gone as if by magic.
He had moved too quickly for any of them to follow.
"Damn it! He got us!" exclaimed Mildred.
"TCH!" Tachibana fumed.
"He is the son of the Invincible Superman, after all," Raigo muttered bitterly.
"Very well," Marmaduke declared from within his armor. "Then we'll do this the old-fashioned way."
"Shampoo… answer me, are you okay?" Mousse sobbed.
"Kid, she'll be fine, just like the others," Kensei reassured him. "We don't know how to free them yet, but one thing at a time. I promise we'll do everything we can."
"Saiga Furinji, THANK YOU, really," Mousse said.
"The esteemed Kuno Tatewaki shall forever remain in your debt," the samurai confirmed.
"Oh, come now, it's unnecessary. And you, Mousse, you've already done a great deal. Honestly, I should be the one thanking you."
"But now we'll have to keep these NINETEEN people safe while we fight," Akisame observed. "That won't be an easy task."
"I'll handle it," Mousse proclaimed, pulling out a whistle and blowing into it with force.
Out of nowhere, two figures cloaked in long, hooded robes appeared.
Then they threw off the cloaks, revealing two tall, slender Chinese women with cunning expressions and hair tied up neatly.
"Here we are, Laobàn. At your service."
"As you command, Laobàn. At your service."
They were Pink and Link, masters of plants and poisons from a village neighboring Joketsuzoku.
Kenichi and Miu were making their way through the long corridors without encountering anyone. But their wish was granted—too much so—when voices echoed from the far end of the corridor.
Since they were at an intersection, they dove in opposite directions—Kenichi to the right and Miu to the left—each slipping into one of the doors of the old passenger cabins before the newcomers rounded the corner.
Through the cracks, they saw six people pass: two guards in front, two scientist-like individuals in suits, lab coats, and masks pushing a strange cart covered by a tarp—presumably carrying scientific equipment—and two more guards bringing up the rear.
It was the latter pair who caused trouble.
They didn't notice Kenichi or Miu but, seeing the half-open doors, decided they might cause false alarms if left that way. Out of an overabundance of caution, they closed the doors from the outside before continuing their escort.
Kenichi and Miu found themselves locked in once again, this time in separate cabins.
"And who might these two be? Actually… how have they managed to stay hidden until now? And what did they just call you?" Ryoga asked, clearly overwhelmed by the day's surprises.
"Laobàn means 'boss' in Chinese," Kensei explained. "So, Mousse, are these the people you told us about? Your…"
"My spies, yes," the young man confirmed. "I recruited them from a village near my own. I live in a region of Ancient Martial Arts Villages, where almost everyone trains. Some later pursue other careers, but others travel the world working as mercenaries, bodyguards, assassins… or spies, as the case may be.
They've been keeping tabs on the Yami's emissaries for me.
Their village specializes in medicine and poisons, and these two, while they might seem like airheads, are geniuses in herbalism.
They've developed a perfume extracted from certain plants that makes it impossible to sense their Ki… or even detect their scent, for that matter."
"Truly remarkable."
Mousse avoided mentioning that nearly three years earlier, they had tried to kill Shampoo and her "fiancé" because of a childhood feud. Enough chaos had been stirred up for one day.
Mousse hadn't been there at the time, but if he had, he would have eliminated them. Since their defeat, however, Cologne had threatened to crush them if they ever tried anything against Shampoo again.
Mousse himself had reinforced this point repeatedly over the months. They seemed loyal. As long as they were paid, they followed orders.
"Pink! Link! Keep these people safe! While we're fighting, no one must get near them!"
"Yes, Laobàn. At your service."
"Consider it done, Laobàn. At your service."
The two strange women rummaged through their bags, pulling out various jars containing seeds of unknown plants.
Soon, they mixed the seeds and scattered them around with the help of some fans.
"All done. At your service."
"It would be better to move back. At your service."
Even the members of the Ryozampaku witnessed a sight they never would have imagined.
As if in a fairy tale about giants and beanstalks, ultrarapidly growing plants tore through the port's asphalt, shooting skyward.
They were massive brambles, like those in Sleeping Beauty, that ensnared the nineteen crystal coffins containing the unfortunate prisoners.
Then, on the sides of the branches, yellow flowers bloomed and soon burst, covering the thorny monstrosity—four stories tall—in an unsettling yellow powder.
"Well, I'll be damned," Sakaki exclaimed.
"The ancient China still holds many surprises," Kensei marveled.
"Scientifically incredible," Akisame confirmed.
"Tsk! Don't let it intimidate you!" Seitaro Raigo rallied his troops.
"We'll destroy that Little Shop of Horrors after we've dealt with the Ryozampaku! Call the reserves, and let's go!"
As one, the Blade members leaped off the ship, leaving only trails in their wake.
At this point, the Ryozampaku began arranging themselves for battle.
But there was one last surprise.
From the ship emerged first five boys who must have been disciples: one with a scythe, one with various polearms, one with an axe, one with a sword, and one with a peculiar saber.
And then, two adversaries of an entirely different caliber:
Kei Retsumin, the Human Calamity
And the Master of Bantou.
"Guys, be careful," Akisame advised. "Those two are Master-level. And we won't be able to help you."
"Don't worry, Shishou," Ryoga affirmed.
"We've got this," Mousse confirmed.
However, Sakaki expressed in thought what all his colleagues had already noticed.
There are several disciples of the Blades missing... and apart from Oganosuke, there's someone else missing... someone who, in some ways, might be the worst of all.
Guys, be careful...
A team of six guards was patrolling the corridors of the POSEIDON.
"I'm telling you, it's not possible! Those two probably took a break somewhere and got drunk, I'm telling you."
"That's possible, but it's still worth checking."
"Are you two idiots? Professionals? On a mission like this? As if. Listen to me, something's up."
"Well, so far I don't see anything..."
At that moment, various things fell from the ceiling.
Pieces of the ventilation duct and a boy around twenty years old.
"OUCH! What a fall. Damn it, this might not have been a great idea. I've moved even further away from where Miu is, and..."
And at that moment, he turned and saw them.
"Um... hello, nice day, isn't it?"
"GET HIM!"
Five guards charged at him in unison.
But Kenichi had improved a lot, and they couldn't trouble him: at most, the protective gear and helmets made it slightly harder to take them down.
He was easily overwhelming the first four, but the fifth, seeing how things were going, pulled an extendable baton from his belt, extended it, and, pressing a button, made it crackle with electricity, ready to strike the intruder from behind.
However, a throwing knife zipped through the air above him, knocking the weapon from his hand.
"OUCH! What the hell..."
He turned to see his last companion, who hadn't joined the fight.
"What the hell are you doing? Come help me ins..."
At that moment, Kenichi knocked him out with an elbow strike.
The boy was perplexed by how the last of his opponents didn't seem intent on attacking, but through the helmet, he couldn't guess his intentions.
He bent down to pick up the throwing knife and nearly had a heart attack when he thought he recognized it.
He tossed it back to the stranger, who caught it mid-air and tucked it into the collar of his armor.
Then, slowly, the stranger removed his helmet.
A familiar pigtail emerged, along with two gray eyes glaring at him irritably.
"RANMA? What are you... what are you doing here? And why are you... in their uniform?"
"What do you think I'm doing, you idiot? That I'm here sunbathing?
I came to rescue the Shimpaku Alliance hostages. Like... you, I assume.
Don't tell me you came here alone?"
"What? Oh, so that's... a disguise to infiltrate them?
I... yeah, sure, I'm here for the same reason.
The Ryozampaku left without us, but then we got a tip and... I came here with Miu, although... we got separated.
Anyway... I'm glad to see you're okay."
"You mean you're glad the Elder didn't kill me? Well, not thanks to you.
And yes, it's a disguise, obviously.
If I were one of them, that knife would be in your back instead of saving your life... and having to wander a ship as big as a Tokyo neighborhood with a hundred crew members and who knows what else, it seemed the minimum to exercise some discretion...
or was your genius plan to wander around with a neon sign saying THE RYOZAMPAKU IS HERE?"
He's more sarcastic than usual. He's mad at me about this morning. Well, I can't blame him...
"You said Miu is here too, but you don't know where she is now? Fantastic, I'll have to babysit both of you...
anyway, I'm glad you two are getting along again... if you'd talked normally this morning, maybe all that chaos wouldn't have happened..."
"THERE'S NO TIME FOR THIS! We'll talk about it when we're back on land, after saving the prisoners! Do you... know where they are? Have you seen them?"
"No, and even if I had? What would you do? Dive in to save them out of your hero complex? Alone? Without a plan?
And even if you didn't get yourself killed, what makes you think Renka would be happy to see you?
You're the one who made her cry..."
It happened suddenly, sharply.
A perfect right hook, delivered with anger, in mid-air.
Ranma took it, turning his head to the right.
Kenichi resumed breathing normally after a few seconds.
What he'd heard was too much, even for him.
"You... LET ME HIT YOU? Why?"
"Umph! I figured you needed to let off steam too. And besides, this way, I'll feel less guilty about the second thing I'm about to say."
"And that would be?"
"Thanks for ruining my life, jerk."
A right uppercut buried itself in Kenichi's stomach, doubling him over.
The boy sank into darkness.
Author's Note:
Here we are. The chapters of surprises and due explanations.
I fear it was a bit overly complex how both group got divided, taking care of one enemy group each, but it was necessary.
Now, the Oceanus has not left the port, with the Ryozanpaku fighting the Eight Blades, the Guys from Nerima fighting their disciples, and Pink and Link protecting the Valkyries and the other hostages from the other mangas.
And the Poseidon is in the middle of the ocean: Cologne prevented Mikumo to sail with it, Hayato is soon reaching the ship, and onto that, Ranma, Miu and Kenichi are operating separately...against unknown enemies.
We're gonna see all the fights, but concentrating more on the protagonists, obviously.
Now, Cologne should've been enough a clue that MOUSSE WASN'T A TRAITOR, but i tried my best to let it believe you, and it worked for a while. I truly like his potential as a character, and i can see him doing good using bad means.
Pink and Link were his two misterious underlings, and they liked them so much from the manga.
Shampoo, Ukyo and Kodachi as hostages are just extras, but i wanted to include them, somehow.
Now, after all the mysteries and the plots have been unveiled and the stages are set, it's just time for battles.
And you'll get aplenty, in the next FIVE chapters, dedicated almost to fighting.
But first...recent events have left scars...can Ranma and Kenichi save their friends while fighting each other?
I didn't want to have them just going along like nothing happened
Until next time! ;)
Glossary
The other kidnapped characters are from different mangaa: Aya and Maya Natsume from "Tenjo Tenge"; Teruhiko Tenkoji and Kenji Kisaragi from "Kotaro Makaritoru" (a comedic martial arts manga, unpublished in most Western countries); Eito Akashi and Ayame Kido from "Agent 008!" (another manga by Syun Matsuena, the author of Kenichi); and finally, Momotaro Tsurugi and Omito Date from "Sakigake! Otokojuku."
: This is a Haiku by the poet Masaoka Shiki.
: Approximately six million euros at the current exchange rate.
: Referenced in Chapter 14 of the fic, further explained in Chapters 17 and 19.