Battle in a Night of Full Moon
Over the weeks, everyone's training became enjoyable routines.
Not by chance, Ranma, Kuno, and Mousse trained in the mornings, so they never ran into Kenichi, Miu, and Renka, who were at school during those hours. It was as if Nerima and the Kouryu had become parallel lines destined never to meet.
A bit disappointed by this, Ranma tried to find a way to not neglect his friends while still committing to Kisara (who was paying Ranko handsomely, after all). In the meantime, he still saw them on Saturdays and Sundays, and at least one evening a week, he stayed for dinner at the Ryozampaku, often with Nodoka.
But aside from that, at least once a week, in the training routine he devised for the TaeKwonDo girl (which he realized needed to be planned well in advance; just like the strategies Akisame talked about), he included bizarre activities for her to do solo, just like in the early days.
So on one hand, "Ranko," returned to "Ranma," had the afternoon free, and on the other, the Valkyrie was experiencing the true essence of the Saotome School of Indiscriminate Martial Arts…learning activities like balancing on a wire several meters off the ground; both forwards and backwards, and even blindfolded; or improving dexterity by juggling balls while moving on a unicycle. All activities that turned out to be paradoxically useful in developing skills necessary for combat.
During those weeks, Kisara began to improve significantly, and "Ranko" started to feel something that resembled pride more than satisfaction.
Ranma himself was being put to the test at the Ryozampaku. Physically, especially, they had taken to making him move a large boulder in various directions, tying it alternately to his arms, legs, or back. The weight of the boulder never varied, and it was just slightly lighter than the maximum he could lift, but it was the exercises he performed that were always different; he moved that weight while in motion, not as if it were a gym lift, thus generating the type of strength most necessary for fighting; moreover, it exercised all the muscles as a single unit, rather than individually, and developed new ones that he usually didn't use.
From a technical standpoint, Kensei's teachings were opening his mind to the possibilities of palm strikes and "soft" moves that used the shockwaves of impact to penetrate the body, rather than "hard" strikes intended to break through enemy defenses. Ranma was getting along better with the little Chinese guy: they were quite compatible, and the Master had practically given up on dousing him with cold water.
Akisame was making him even better at avoiding being thrown (by anyone who wasn't him, at least) and was filling in some gaps regarding ground fighting, in addition to continuing strategy lessons.
With Shigure, with whom his relationship had improved, the boy with the ponytail was becoming more and more proficient in defense against weapons, both by using them himself and in unarmed combat; as well as using at least his preferred weapons and filling in some gaps regarding projectile weapon attacks.
However, he felt most at ease with Sakaki: not necessarily at a technical level, but in personal understanding. The Karateka of One Hundredth Dan had more intuition and common sense than one might give him credit for at first glance and was very meticulous and organized in structuring the training, ensuring that the student understood even simple concepts that could be useful in specific situations before moving on to more complex ones. An example he chose to replicate with Kisara.
As for Kenichi and Miu, their relationship had returned to normal after cooling off a bit due to her jealousy towards Renka.
To be honest, Ranma would have expected the opposite, because in reality, Ma's daughter had never been as close to Kenichi as she was now. She had completely changed her attitude towards Kenichi after speaking with Ranma on the night of dinner, and now she treated the boy in a way that was sunny and friendly, but not at all intrusive or clingy.
This had surprised Kenichi a bit, who felt somewhat guilty for having sulked at her for so long. Consequently, he had begun to have a completely new relationship with her, based on respect and collaboration…which, however, brought them closer together, thanks to the two days a week they trained together.
The only "threat" to that existing triangle could be Kuno, who, one afternoon, had decided to stop by the Ryozampaku, presenting a bouquet of yellow roses to Miu and blue roses to Renka, casually asking both of them out with the utmost nonchalance. Miu had refused, utterly embarrassed and as red as a pepper, but flattered, while Renka was much more direct in her refusal, though…she still took the roses, without any shame. Kenichi, after jumping in surprise, calmed down… and decided to take notes.
Ranma, on the other hand, never trained with anyone; instead, he needed to learn how to face multiple opponents at once. He had indeed easily dispatched the members of the Shimpaku Alliance united against him, but only due to a combination of level difference and mastery of the Sixth Sense: against stronger opponents, he would still face difficulties.
For this goal, it was Hayato who provided for him, and indeed, on his dedicated day, he subjected the boy with the ponytail to personalized and specific training to neutralize his weak points. Extremely tough training, even for him.
As for Mousse and Kuno, their Masters were satisfied with their progress, and on the other days, they were not often seen around. Ranma, however, remained vigilant to avoid surprises. He trusted Mousse, especially after the events at the Arena, but he knew that he still hadn't told him the whole truth about his intentions.
Finally, the long-awaited evening arrived. Sakaki informed Ranma, Miu, and Kenichi that they needed to prepare. The boy with the pigtail noticed with respect the seriousness and calmness with which the two teenagers prepared for the task, especially Kenichi.
He was wearing the complete training outfit, with Shigure's steel shirt underneath, and on his forearms, he sported some strange Tekko* that seemed to have been recently forged and made to measure. Miu wore comfortable boots, a full tracksuit that left nothing to the imagination, an open jacket, and another pair of Tekko. Ranma imagined that they were used to defend against armed attacks. At least on that, they were prudent.
He also realized that, at least in part, it was implied that one of his tasks would be to protect the two Disciples if things went wrong. Moreover, Renka wanted to participate in the mission as well, but that same day she and Kensei had to go to Chinatown, called by Uncle Hakubi, to quell some disturbances due to a gang war. Akisame and Hayato raised an eyebrow at that coincidence but said nothing.
A small problem was the transport: even with the sidecar, Sakaki's motorcycle couldn't carry four people.
"Miu, get on behind the Master; Kenichi in the sidecar; I'll follow you on foot."
"On foot? Are you sure, Ranma-kun?" Kenichi asked.
"Well, when I was 15, I swam all the way to China with my father. I think I can run for a few dozen kilometers."
The Ryozampaku Disciple ran his hands through his hair.
I always forget that they belong to a different world than mine…
When they arrived a few hundred meters from the port, Sakaki stopped beside an apparently abandoned van that actually concealed a police decoy vehicle.
Inside was Inspector Honmaki. "Good to see you, Inspector; how's the situation?"
"A dozen vans arrived, in dribs and drabs, at the port a few minutes ago. We believe they haven't started unloading yet."
"Good, then we'll move forward. Remember, intervene only after we give you the green light."
"Understood, but let's keep in touch via radio. Here, Sakaki-kun, put this radio transmitter in your ear."
As the four walked cautiously towards the port—and Ranma speculated that there were another twenty police cars camouflaged in the neighborhood—Kenichi asked an intelligent question that had been swirling in his head all day.
"Master Sakaki, if the plan worked as it should… why can't the police handle it from now on? Why is it necessary to involve the Ryozampaku?"
"Mmmh… you see, Kenichi, for some time now, the influence of Yami on the crime in our country has reached such a level that it's difficult for a criminal operation of this size to occur without their supervision.
In practice, it's likely that, to protect that ship and its cargo… the smugglers have hired a practitioner of martial arts at least at Master level."
"What?" the boys exclaimed in unison. No one expected that.
"Here's why my presence is necessary," he continued simply. "You are needed in case there are any Disciples to confront, and it's better to have more of us so the small fish don't get away with their cargo."
Here's why even the police are waiting to intervene...
With renewed focus, all the Students headed towards the dock to see that indeed, a dozen vans were parked near a large ship named "NEREUS II," while several people were swarming the deck of the same. Two men, one representing the sailors and the other the truck drivers, were talking to each other on the gangway, holding some papers.
"Before we begin, I'll tell you another thing," Sakaki added. "The mission we are undertaking is of paramount importance. Those automatic weapons are meant to be sold to foreign criminal gangs that have been trying to take the place of the Yakuza for a few years now. Normally, I wouldn't care, but if they want to use war weapons to do it… soon Japan will look like a battlefield.
Also, never forget that along with the weapons, they smuggle in bullets too, so if things go south, some of the sailors might decide to shoot at you using part of their own cargo."
These warnings made the guys more determined, but certainly not more at ease. Sakaki took a few steps forward and raised his voice a bit.
"HEY; YOU! OF THE CREW!"
About twenty faces turned around, surprised, irritated, and threatening.
"We are from the port inspection, and we want to see your shipping documents," the karateka proclaimed sarcastically.
The leader of the truck drivers, wearing a raincoat and a goatee, consulted a bit with the ship's captain, who was bald with a scar running down his eye.
"You don't look like an inspector, and we aren't giving you anything. Beat it!"
"Oh, but you hurt my feelings. And I came to ask you to lend me one or two little fish to cook for my girlfriend… assuming you aren't actually transporting chunks of metal… you know, she doesn't digest lead well!"
The boys behind him made various faces at their Master's audacity.
The criminals, now certain it was a trap, closed ranks.
The captain started shouting sarcastically, "You know, under normal conditions I'd be very happy to see if YOU digest lead well… but I don't want to jeopardize our cargo, and we paid a fortune for our bodyguards, so I think… I'll just enjoy the show. HEY; YOU! GET THEM!"
The Ryozanpaku members looked up and saw four figures on a loading crane that had been hiding their presence until now.
The expressions and exclamations of Miu, Kenichi, and especially Sakaki, who recognized them, made Ranma realize they were in serious trouble.
He had suspected that this operation hid some problems, but he couldn't have imagined how serious.
The four people were:
Tirawit Kokin, the Muay Thai practitioner from Yomi.
His Master, Agaard Jum Sai, known as the Sovereign of Elbows and the Emperor of Fists, Grand Master of Thay and Muay Boran, and former training partner of Apachai.
Natsu Tanimoto, called Hermit, a schoolmate and rival of Kenichi, practitioner of the Bajiquan and Piguaquan Kung Fu styles, former Sixth Fist of Ragnarok.
His Master, the Grand Master of all the hard styles of Chinese kung fu, Ma Sogetsu, the older brother of Kensei.
"Natsu! And… Kokin!" Kenichi exclaimed.
"They're both here! With both of their Masters!" Miu added.
"Shit!" Sakaki exclaimed.
"We are clearly at a disadvantage… I made a mistake bringing the boys. But who would have imagined that for a single load, they would hire TWO former members of a Shadow, Nine Fists? There's something fishy about this…"
Ranma didn't understand much, but enough to know that the situation was very serious.
"Kenichi…" Hermit said calmly, with a sharp look.
As Miu updated Ranma on the identities of their opponents, Aagard spoke.
"Ohoh, look if it isn't those from Ryozanpaku! What a lucky coincidence!" the Thai chuckled.
The bearded man, who Ranma was told was Ma Sogetsu, said nothing but drank what seemed to be alcohol from a Chinese flask. He looked thoughtful and often glanced at the boy with the pigtail.
"Hey, did you hear me?" the captain of the Nereus shouted again. "I told you to take them out!"
Only then did Sogetsu turn his face and speak: "Hey, little man, stop yelling at me; you're getting on my nerves. We're deciding how to deal with them. It's not an easy choice…"
Sakaki was sweating cold.
"Damn, if they put the Disciples against Miu and Kenichi… I can handle either of the two Grand Masters, but Ranma can't handle a Grand Master… how are we going to do this?"
"Do you want to play rock-paper-scissors to decide who gets to face Sakaki, Sogetsu-san?" asked Agaard, who seemed to have too sunny an attitude for one of the bad guys. "I admit I would have preferred to meet Apachai again, but I'm curious to face a Karate Master strong enough to rival Hongo-san…"
Sogetsu paused for a moment to think.
"No," he finally said, "you can face him."
"Tsk! It's all the same to me, but I admit," Sakaki said, puffing up his aura, "I've always wanted to teach a lesson to the guy who messed up Apachai last time."
"Well, we just need to decide who will face our students," Agaard concluded serenely.
"That's the point," Sogetsu replied in his slow, low tone, "that new kid is a problem. And then…"
"Ooh, you're right; he seems strong! And besides… yeah, I understand," he added, looking further.
"Hey, you! What are you scheming about?" the captain asked.
"Let's do this!" Sogetsu concluded. "Hermit, Kokin, you two… will face that new kid. TOGETHER."
"WHAT?" the two students asked in unison.
Even in Ryozampaku's camp, they were surprised.
"Maybe we have a chance…" Sakaki weighed.
"I, on the other hand, will stay here to avoid external interference. The students from Ryozanpaku will be dealt with by the practitioners on the ship."
"What the hell are you saying?" the captain protested. "We paid you to do a job! You're four against four, fight them! Tcha! Someone had told me you were unreliable, Sougetsu!"
"You're an idiot," Sogetsu replied. "If they're here, it means half the Tokyo police is a few hundred meters away; don't you understand?"
The captain flinched.
"If I stay here, instead… no human being who isn't a high-level practitioner will dare approach within a kilometer.
Let's say we face off four against four, and meanwhile, you all get arrested… what would we gain from that?
Instead, this way, while we hold the enemies back, you can unload everything and try to escape.
Of course" he then added with a grin, "the task we were paid for is to prevent anyone from interfering with the unloading operations… if you all get arrested right afterward, it's not our problem."
Hermit covered his face, embarrassed.
"Always the same…"
"Umpf! Anyway, I don't like it," Kokin stated, "that we have to face that kid in pairs. Fighting with numerical advantage wasn't against the rules of the Killing Fist?"
"Kokin, my dear, principles must be adapted to circumstances," his Master explained to him. "It would be dishonorable against opponents of the same level… but against someone stronger, you can do it easily… let's put it this way, if you faced one of us, ten of you wouldn't be enough, right?"
"Alright!" he simply said, and both he and Hermit jumped down.
"That's not the only reason you made this decision, is it, Sogetsu-kun?" added the large Thai man. "If you hadn't done that, those two…would never have agreed on who should face Kenichi again."
"Umpf! Maybe," affirmed the bearded Chinese man, savoring another sip from his flask, "but besides that, I want them to train by facing someone stronger than them, but not yet at the Master level... a formative experience that doesn't happen every day."
"Listen up, guys, soon I won't be able to give you advice anymore," Sakaki warned. "The situation is dire, but given how it's set up, we have a chance to make it.
Ranma, those two are fighting to kill. I don't know how well they can coordinate; they have completely opposing styles, but their goal will be to keep you occupied. Prevent them from doing that.
Miu and Kenichi, on the other hand, you need to fight with perfect coordination, as you learned in the past weeks at Ryozampaku. We don't know how the sailors are organized, but it seems some of them are practitioners... they probably use bladed weapons; they're easier to hide on a ship.
Third, know that MY battle will cause a gigantic level of destruction... try not to get caught up in it!"
"YES!" all three replied in unison.
The two pairs, Miu and Kenichi, and Hermit and Kokin exchanged intense glances as they crossed each other, running in different directions. But, obedient to their respective Masters' orders, nothing else happened.
Kenichi knew what he read in the eyes of his old rivals: "The payback is only postponed, Shirahama..."
Agaard was slowly approaching Sakaki, inflating his aura in turn. Ranma realized he had never seen Ki of that magnitude clash, not since his father, in panda form, had matched Happosai's giant transformation...
"Ranma-kun, one last thing... the advice about not getting involved also applies to you... get those two Disciples away from here... and while you're at it, maybe try to..."
"Got it!" exclaimed Ranma with a nod of understanding, and he took off running diagonally toward the area of containers unloaded from other ships during the day, to the right of the Nereus, immediately followed by his opponents.
The confrontation between the two Masters was starting to cause sparks in the air. Sakaki was extremely focused, aware that the slightest mistake would mean disaster. Agaard, for his part, was savoring the moment.
And then it happened. They moved faster than anyone could see and clashed.
They immediately became a single mass of martial arts, punches, parries, elbows, kicks, and knees. The air within ten meters of them began to swirl like a typhoon. The windows of buildings thirty meters away shattered into a thousand pieces.
Kenichi and Miu leaped toward the trucks and the ship behind them.
"I'm a bit worried," Kenichi confessed, "for Sakaki-san and also for Ranma-kun. They won't have easy fights..."
"Focus, Kenichi," Miu shot back. "Thinking about anything else while fighting can get you killed. Right now, we need to concentrate on our opponents and remember the training. And also... trusting your friends is a way of fighting!" she concluded, smiling.
"Yeah, you're right," admitted the First Disciple of Ryozanpaku, feeling encouraged.
The smugglers on the trucks tried to stop the two kids, but they passed them as if they didn't exist, jumping several meters at a time, and in no time at all, they were on the ship's deck, causing dismay among the sailors who were rushing with the unloading operations.
"Put those crates down and surrender!" Miu ordered, with a stern look.
"Tsk! Who do you think you are, girl? You think you're the only ones practicing martial arts? Among our sailors... there are many practitioners of Silat!" one of them declared.
Silat? The same martial art of Radin Tidat Jihan and Silcardo Jenazad! And if I'm not mistaken, many of those styles...
The sailors quickly divided into two groups, with military discipline. About half, roughly fifteen, of Southeast Asian descent, surrounded the two kids, while the others moved around to continue with the unloading.
"Come on, weaklings! Help them unload! Hurry up!" their leader ordered the truck drivers.
And then those facing Kenichi and Miu pulled strange-shaped blades from their clothing... Karambit, Nusantara, Golok, Bawean, and even some Kris.
I knew it! Blades! Weapons are scary!
Ranma got far enough away, but not too far to miss both scenarios. He leaped atop the containers, which formed, side by side, an uninterrupted metal surface for hundreds of meters, and turned to face his enemies.
They watched him cautiously, saying nothing. They began to take their stances and slowly circle around him, in a semicircle, expanding their auras. Ranma distinctly felt the stench of their murderous intent.
They are not at my level, but it's best not to get hit... they won't be as lenient as Kenichi.
To prevent them from gaining an advantage, he lunged into the attack first, against Hermit, but, unexpectedly, the one called Kokin stepped in, intercepting his advancing leg with an elbow.
What?
The Kung Fu practitioner seized the opportunity to launch an attack with the tips of his fingers aimed at Ranma's eyes, which he dodged by moving his head...
...and from there Kokin attempted to strike him in the groin, which Ranma avoided by leaping backward.
They attack only, right from the start, without hesitation at the vital points. They know that even if they are inferior, sensing the danger, I will still instinctively try to evade.
Huh... is this how the practitioners of Satsujinken fight?
Ranma began to expand his aura. The two boys were upon him like a single man.
How? They're trying to prevent me from maximizing my aura!
They want to force me to stay on the defensive!
Ranma adjusted his Ki of Sei and tuned into his Sixth Sense.
The two members of Yomi began to bombard him with a whirlwind of hard-hitting and varied strikes, Hermit from the right and Kokin from the left.
Kokin attacked him with a jumping knee strike from the left, and Hermit with a palm strike to the ribs from the lower right, but Ranma parried them simultaneously.
But they were baits. The two initiated two new attacks, a front kick jump with the other leg for Kokin and a shoulder charge for Hermit.
Ranma, seeing them coming, spun around and dodged, bending backward and letting them hit the void. The two disciples continued their momentum and found themselves reversed, Kokin on the right and Hermit on the left.
Recovering, they attacked again, the first with a jab to the face, the second with a sweep to his supporting leg. Ranma blocked the first and resisted the second.
Once again, they reversed their attack pattern, Hermit swinging his arms like whips to strike his shoulders, while Kokin leaned forward for an elbow to the sternum.
The boy with the pigtail intercepted the latter with his hands and deflected Hermit's Piguaquan strikes by slightly shifting to the left, causing them to bounce off-target.
But he couldn't help but wonder:
How the hell do they fight so well coordinated? I don't think they trained together; they have opposing styles, they're not talking or signaling... if this goes on... they'll keep me on the defensive until the bandits finish unloading all the crates.
The two disciples of Ryozampaku had expanded their opposing auras, Miu's orange flaming Dou and Kenichi's light blue Sei.
The practitioners facing them were at the Disciple level, high tier, which meant trouble.
A continuous shimmer of blades, thrusting forward with lunges, slashes, and spins, crashed down with a rain of sparks on the Tekko of the two kids, who had been rigorously trained by Shigure to defend against weapons.
Fortunately, they had spent the last few weeks training their coordination as a team (perhaps specifically in anticipation of this mission, Miu thought) and even Kenichi found the experience he gained in facing the Valkyries a few weeks earlier useful.
The problem was that Kenichi couldn't activate the Ryusui Seikuken, because otherwise, he wouldn't be able to adapt his movements to Miu's. Moreover, that technique was more suited for a single opponent, one whose intentions could be perfectly read, focusing solely on them, which was impossible with dozens of different attacks from multiple opponents.
Sakaki used his sharp eyesight to take quick glances at the fights of his students. What he saw didn't please him. The plan of his enemies to keep them at a standstill was working perfectly.
Just then, a punch grazed his jaw, leaving a scratch.
"Hey! Do you really have time to worry about the others?" taunted Agaard.
The wolf-eyed karateka smirked, "Bah! You Satsujinken practitioners will never understand what it means... when you fight for the Saving Fist, one of your main tasks is to defeat the enemy while simultaneously achieving another goal!"
"THEN SHOW ME!" shouted the Thai fighter, excitedly throwing a punch and a knee strike simultaneously, which the karateka blocked with an forearm and his other leg.
"Umpf! WITH PLEASURE!"
Sakaki's eyes began to shine as he closed the distance and started unleashing a flurry of short hooks to the body of his opponent while simultaneously running sideways.
Agaard accepted the challenge but realized, a bit too late, the trajectory.
"Ooh, nice thought."
The crash was devastating. The two combatants slammed into one of the vans, already two-thirds loaded, causing it to practically explode and sending metal sheets, tires, and pieces of its chassis and machine gun flying in a twenty-meter radius.
A couple of smugglers were knocked out instantly, while another four or five who had dove for cover trembled, paralyzed by fear. The flying debris had hit other vans, tearing a tire off one, smashing the glass of another, destroying the headlights of a third, and slicing in two the weapons crate carried by two other criminals.
"AHAHAH! Extraordinary! Come on, Karateka of the Katsujinken! Entertain me some more!"
"I'M JUST GETTING STARTED!"
Ranma was having his hands full blocking all the attacks from the two Yomi disciples. Even though they weren't on his level, the fact that they were putting murderous intent into their strikes meant he couldn't afford distractions.
Tsk! It's like an adult fighting two kids, if the kids were using daggers... being stronger doesn't mean you can relax...
Moreover, they kept changing rhythm to prevent him from getting used to it. First one from above, one from below. Then one from the right, one from the left. Then one from the right and one from above.
However, this wasn't enough to hit him even once.
FLASHBACK: Ranma is training at Ryozampaku with Hayato. The Elder is shirtless, holding two huge wooden clubs, one in each hand. He moves around Ranma in a circle, moving so quickly that it felt like Ranma was being attacked by six enemies at once. After slamming him to the ground, the Elder taunted him: "Muahahah, what's wrong Saotome? You can't even handle half a dozen opponents? How dare you call yourself an Expert?"
For their part, Kokin and Hermit were decidedly frustrated by their inability to hit him so far and were having a little competition to see who would succeed first.
"Why are you underestimating us?" Kokin asked him coldly. "You haven't even counterattacked once. Or... can't you?"
"Umpf! Believe me... it's not a good idea to tempt fate. Rather... kids your age pretending to be professional assassins... and you call yourselves martial artists?"
"Do you think you have the right to criticize us? Just because we follow the true path, and aren't afraid to get our hands dirty," Hermit replied.
"Ooh, you think that not having scruples makes you stronger? Yet it doesn't seem like you've managed to even graze me so far... hey, if I'm not mistaken, you're part of Yomi, right?"
"That's right, but what does that have to do with anything?"
"Nothing, I've heard of you. Essentially, you...
...are the ones who got beaten up by Kenichi!"
A flash darted between them.
Kokin launched a devastating mid-kick.
Hermit ducked while throwing an elbow from the opposite side.
Ranma leaned forward, blocking the kick with one arm while raising a bent leg to intercept Hermit's body, preventing him from getting closer. He had a mocking smile.
"If you're Sei fighters, you shouldn't be provoked so easily..."
He fully extended his leg, pushing Hermit back, and grabbed Kokin's leg, tossing him sideways like a stone. The Thai practitioner bounced off one of the thick metal ropes that held the containers, snapping it cleanly and sliding underneath, falling into the sea.
The taut rope bounced unpredictably, but Ranma narrowly dodged it.
The problem was that the containers had been placed very close to the dock, and the recoil and absence of cables started making them slide into the sea, one by one.
"Oh... GET LOST!" Ranma shouted, starting to run in the opposite direction. Hermit was quite far from him, sensed the danger, got back up, but attempted to use the situation to attack him.
He was willing to risk his life on that attack.
Ranma was running on the containers, jumping from one to another as they slid into the water, and found himself with that blond kid trying to commit suicide. He leaped over him effortlessly.
One of the containers, however, completely overturned, rising vertically, and the kid with the pigtail landed on top of it. All the others continued pressing on the previous ones, risking to topple over Hermit and crush him.
"WATCH OUT!"
Hermit ran up the container and tried to attack him one-on-one.
"Do you really have the luxury to worry about your enemies?" he asked, wounded in his pride.
Ranma found himself dodging his attacks as if he were dancing on the container that was rapidly sliding into the sea. And he wanted to avoid the water.
"Listen to me, kid, you..."
At that moment, all the containers collapsed into the water together, and the two boys found themselves on top. Ranma jumped in the opposite direction, but the Kung Fu practitioner grabbed his ankle. The gravity of the collapse threw them into the air.
Ranma executed a mid-air pirouette and found himself below Hermit, looking annoyed.
What?—Hermit wondered—how the hell did he manage to move in mid-air?
"…you're really stubborn!" concluded and he threw him away with all his strength, sending him into the water, several dozen meters away.
Then he fell into the water too.
Kenichi and Miu continued to parry the enemy's blows and were beginning to find the right rhythm. Then they started to hear the crashing of containers falling into the water.
"Miu-san!"
"I heard! Don't get distracted!"
"But... I'm not so worried about Ranma... I just don't want Tanimoto-san to get too hurt!"
The girl flinched. Then she smiled sweetly.
It's true, it's always the same Kenichi... he even worries about his opponents.
"Anyway: we need to start counterattacking. Do you remember the lessons?"
"Yes."
FLASHBACK: Shigure is teaching the kids how to defend against weapons. She explains that, if there are many enemies, and they are all armed, a three-step procedure should be followed.
"First: make them get in each other's way."
The two kids began not only to parry but to push the enemies' weapons aside to the right and left, causing the unexpectedly deflected weapons to entangle with each other, or graze the limbs and shoulders of the comrades next to them.
A series of curses, cries of pain, and exclamations began to rise from the sailors.
"Second: attack their vulnerable points, disrupting their balance."
In turn, while one of them parried, Miu and Kenichi started delivering low kicks to their opponents' legs, sometimes stomping on their feet, and even some front kicks to the sternum (or, in Miu's case, to their lower regions), causing some to fall to the ground, breaking their formation, and making them hesitate in their attacks.
"Third: take advantage of their uncertainties to execute a disarm!"
A bolder sailor made a thrust, Miu let it slide over her, suddenly stood up, grabbed his arm, and twisted it, making him drop the kriss. She grabbed it and, lightning-fast, threw it into the sea. Then she dropped the man with a quick kick to the chin.
"One down!"
Kenichi smiled, filled with hope.
But I'm the one who should protect Miu, so I can't fall behind. Now it's my turn!
Ranma was cursing in his mind as he swam as fast as he could underwater, holding his breath completely.
He took a quick glance behind him to see if any of his opponents were still submerged, but with the dozen containers slowly sinking in the dead of night, he couldn't see a thing.
Then he spotted the anchor chain and started to climb it as quickly as possible. He hoped no one would see him transformed into a girl.
Hermit resurfaced 200 meters from the ship and noticed him almost casually.
There he is...
Sakaki continued exchanging tremendous blows with Agaard, and they were beginning to bring out their big guns.
Nevertheless, he couldn't help but notice what had happened at the dock.
"The sea water is cold, huh, Ranma... Sorry, but you'll have to manage on your own..."
The nak muay executed one of his decisive techniques: he jumped forward with a knee to the chin, delivering a double elbow strike downward to the head at the same time.
HAK KO ERAWAN
For a moment, it seemed he had landed the hit.
Then he realized that Sakaki had blocked both strikes, positioning his arms horizontally, one above and one below his head. The diverted knee strike hit him in the sternum instead. The arms he had used to block were wounded in turn.
"Ooh... not bad... but I don't see those arms looking too good now..."
"Uhm... are you really in a position to worry about me, considering that now...
...YOU'RE OPEN!"
He spread his arms to throw Sakaki off and then tightened them again, delivering a double hammer fist strike from the outside, hitting both kidneys of the Thai fighter with devastating force. Immediately, he snapped a high front kick aimed at his face.
MOROTE SEIKEN HASAMIGERI!
Agaard had moved back just enough to avoid the kick, which grazed his shoulder.
After that double exchange, both of them took several seconds to catch their breath.
They were starting to be hurt seriously, and blood began to stain their sculpted bodies.
"Hehe... maybe we can't keep this up much longer..." Sakaki admitted.
"Do you think our Disciples... will finish before us, Sakaki?"
The karateka shot a glance at the smugglers busy unloading the cargo. Despite the setbacks, they were working like madmen to finish quickly.
Tsk... someone had better stop them. Guys, I'm counting on you.
Ranma, transformed into a girl, was zigzagging around inside the ship. The captain's quarters and the upper cabins were empty.
"Come on... water... there has to be hot water somewhere... or a way to make it..."
He was drawn to look out a porthole by a curse coming from outside. A box of weapons had slipped from the hands of two smugglers.
"Damn it... they're finishing too fast... what do I do?"
He had an idea. He put water on to boil on a stove, as if he were making tea. Then, while waiting for it to heat, he overturned everything to find something sharp. All he found were knives and forks, and he took as many as he could carry.
The smugglers were already busy and were very nervous about the numerous battles happening just a few meters away from them, battles that felt like real monsters were fighting. At one point, metal objects began to whiz around them, glinting in the light of the headlights and the few lamps.
Forks and knives. Thrown at a surprising speed, they penetrated the tires of the vans with enough force to embed themselves inside and cause them to quickly deflate.
"What the hell...?"
"Look! There's someone on the ship! It's one of them!"
"No, she looks like a girl!"
"Maybe there were others! Who cares! Five of you, grab the guns and go deal with her! At this point, I don't care about being quiet anymore. The rest of you, fix the tires as quickly as possible!"
A full-scale battle had erupted on the deck.
Kenichi and Miu had broken through the front of their enemies and, no longer surrounded, kept moving to avoid their attacks and try to take them on one by one, aiming to gain an advantage.
Now the number of sailors worked against them, as they had to avoid hitting each other (which happened more than once), while the two teenagers spun kicks and punches, determined to finish things quickly.
They heard the screams without understanding the exact words and saw five people quickly rushing down the ladder with revolvers in hand. At first, they were worried, but then they were perplexed to see that they weren't looking for them but were entering the main cabin.
Miu then heard a voice she hadn't heard in a long time, one she thought she had dreamed.
"Damn you! Get out of my way!"
Followed by gunshots.
Miu turned toward the bow and saw a girl with red hair burst out of one of the doors and run away, chased by armed bandits who were shooting at her.
She experienced a sort of déjà vu. She froze for a single moment. One moment too long.
"MIU-SAN!"
Kenichi dove for cover between her and the sailor who had swung a machete down at her from above, catching it between his hands with a perfect Shinken Shirahadori.
The girl turned and shook herself, embarrassed for exposing herself like that. She leaped into the air and released a dozen kicks at the enemy, taking him down.
TOPAN KAIT!
"Thank you, Kenichi-san. And... I'm sorry. I saw something that distracted me for a second."
"What was it?"
"I don't know... I'm not sure. We'll check later; for now, let's deal with them."
Ranma had been hiding behind a corner and made a simple trip to the first bandit, who fell forward due to the momentum, followed by the comrade right behind him, who found him as an obstacle. Both dropped their weapons, and the girl was quick to take down the bandits with swift blows to the head before grabbing their weapons and throwing them into the sea from the window.
"There she is! I see her! She took down Hayase and Tadashi!" shouted the third, aiming and firing two shots.
Ranma, timing her movements perfectly, ducked to avoid the trajectory of the bullets and then jumped out of the window.
"But... we're twenty meters above the ground!"
"Maybe she dove into the sea."
And the bandit leaned over to check, but Ranma, who had actually hung by her arms from the edge, gave a sudden jerk, wrapping her legs around his neck, and with a twist, hurled him down, making him plunge straight into the water with a scream, gun and all.
The last two, still in shock, became more cautious and fired at the edge of the window, exposing themselves as little as possible, but the girl with the pigtail let herself truly drop, landing on the deck with the agility of a cat and running off again.
On her path, she encountered one of the sailors with weapons, but she took him down with a perfect spinning jump kick, telling him to get out of the way. Then she re-entered the cabin. This time, it was Kenichi who saw her for a brief moment.
Ranma-kun... so that's how it is. I hope you manage to protect your secret.
But he also felt guilty for having hidden the truth from Miu all this time.
Inside the bow castle, it was pitch dark. The enemies, who had climbed the stairs, were now coming back down the same way; Ranma could hear them like elephants in a china shop. She turned off the stove with the now boiling water and waited in silence.
As soon as the first one emerged from an open door, she grabbed his hand that held the revolver, twisted it, and hit him in the face with the back of her hand, then snatched the weapon from him.
The problem was that the other one was right behind him, so upon seeing his unconscious comrade fall on him, he panicked and accidentally fired a shot. The unconscious bandit ended up with a hole in his shoulder. Ranma fumed.
"MORON!"
And she sprang to kick the weapon from his hand, then took him down immediately after with a second strike.
Fortunately, she had minimal first aid knowledge. As fast as she could, she stitched up the bandit's shoulder with needle and thread she found in the drawers and stopped the bleeding with a piece of cloth that she wrapped tightly around the wound.
Then, finally, she headed for the small pot with the hot water.
Ranma Saotome emerged from the main door in all his glory but in a decidedly worse mood.
He saw Kenichi and Miu facing off against the bandits, and they were doing well.
Then she cast a glance at the dock and saw the two Yomi Disciples, Kokin and Hermit, surfacing from the water just then, alive and well.
He cast them a disdainful glance and, with a nod of his head, invited them to follow him to finish the confrontation. Then he darted among his friends and jumped off the ship.
Ma Sogetsu didn't like how the situation was unfolding. Even the police had found the courage to come out of their hiding spots and approach, although they remained about a hundred meters from the ship, waiting. From there, he could see that they were armed with heavy weaponry.
The Ryozanpaku disciples had almost finished their opponents. The unloading operations were nearly complete. His disciple's fight was about to restart, while that of the Masters was nearing its end. However, in the distance, he heard a mechanical noise that he didn't like.
He took a swig from his flask and then sighed loudly.
"They won't even pay us this time…"
Ranma reached the same spot as before in four leaps, now completely clear, as several containers had slipped into the sea. He turned and looked at his enemies sternly, expanding his aura. He would no longer show any mercy.
The two Yomi members, however, were also quite annoyed by the mishap and, determined to end it quickly, expanded their auras to the maximum and attacked him with renewed vigor.
For about ten seconds, the previous dance began again, with them attacking in perfect coordination and Ranma blocking everything.
I mustn't be deceived… soon, one of them will act as bait while the other will try to execute a decisive technique… but which one? Thai is a very lethal art, but so is Bajiquan…
Just then, Kokin, facing Ranma, delivered a spinning backfist while Hermit, behind him, threw an elbow to his back. The boy dodged the first with a quick backward shift and blocked the second by putting a hand behind his back. But Hermit changed the move into a shoulder check, hitting him for the first time and pushing him forward.
At the same moment, Kokin, with his back to his opponent, performed a backflip that ended, upside down, with a knee aimed at the enemy's chest.
YAN ERAWAN
Ranma blocked the strike with both hands, preventing it from reaching him.
And that was his mistake.
Hermit simultaneously struck him in the sides with both hands, releasing shockwaves into his body.
The boy with the pigtail jolted and threw Kokin to the ground, but Kokin took advantage of the position to attempt a leg sweep.
Ranma leaped, avoiding it and simultaneously executed a mid-air spin to kick Hermit behind him with an axe kick as he descended.
The blonde barely dodged it, stepping back just in time.
The Thai fighter, lightning-fast, sprang to his feet and threw a spinning elbow to the back of Ranma's head, who, without looking, dodged by bending forward.
And thus, he saw Hermit leaping at him, aiming to strike his abdomen with his wrist, fingers bent downward. His instinct flared.
I sense that this… is the only attack that absolutely must not hit me.
He grabbed Hermit's arm with both hands and stopped his movement dead in its tracks.
Then he did a forward somersault, and while doing so, he struck Kokin behind him with his heel on the chin, sending him flying off the ground.
Once the spin was complete, Ranma landed on his feet, now facing away from Hermit, whose arm he still held tightly between his hands, bending it in a lock behind his head.
Recovering for a moment from the shock, Natsu Tanimoto tried something to free himself, but the boy with the ponytail had no intention of holding him in the lock: he extended his arms forward, using the momentum to lift him up and throw him forcefully against the containers, about ten meters away.
Fortunately, the blonde had observed Ranma moving through the air, so he managed to change direction mid-flight to avoid landing face first… instead, he crashed against the wall with his back, then slid to the ground.
After that sequence, Ranma reflected for a moment and then said:
"You were good, I admit, trying to trick me with those feints, but now you'd better surrender: from now on, your teamwork won't work the same way anymore, I warn you."
In pain and bleeding, both disciples slowly got back on their feet.
"You… don't underestimate us," Hermit growled.
"Oh, well, if you're happy…"
The two boys instantly launched another attack, and Ranma… closed his eyes.
Then he gracefully thrust out his arms, one forward and one backward.
He struck Hermit with a left hook, a Kung Fu punch to the face, and Kokin, behind him, with a right elbow strike to the sternum, a Muay Thai blow.
The two boys collapsed to the ground, from the hit and from shock.
"So, how can I explain this to you… I figured out your trick. It was a clever idea: taking advantage of the fact that you are both Sei fighters and that I am too, so I couldn't perceive it right away.
I'm talking about your Ki. You sent signals with your Ki, turning it into impulses like electric shocks to indicate where you would attack. This way, you always knew where to strike, and I was forced on the defensive, with no room to react."
"You mean… that in the end, you figured us out and found a countermeasure?" Kokin asked.
"Exactly. I emitted my Ki… like a wave. A sort of impulse or radio signal, in a sphere all around me. It neutralized your electric shocks, causing you to attack in the wrong spot. Without that advantage, you cannot compete with me."
Hermit was becoming nervous and incredulous. "But… but when would you have learned to do such a thing?"
"Never. Just now. I improvised on the spot," he declared with a grin.
"DON'T JOKE WITH US!" and both of them lunged at him again.
This time, Ranma did the opposite: he struck Hermit with a left Muay Thai elbow to the sternum and Kokin in the face with a right Kung Fu punch delivered with his wrist.
The two boys fell to the ground for the umpteenth time, dazed and bleeding from their mouths.
"Feel free not to believe me.
Ah, one more thing: it's useless for you to keep insisting. None of you can beat me.
No matter how strong you may be… you're at most at Kenichi's level. Maybe even less."
The two didn't look like they could get up, but after that declaration, they lost their composure, shot up, and lunged at him for the third time.
Ranma struck Hermit with a penetrating front kick to the torso, then spun the same leg backward and extended it in a side kick that Kokin crashed into.
The Yomi disciples, on the ground, clutched their injured parts, trembling with pain.
"I didn't lie. I really believe that. But I also said it on purpose because I knew you would react like this.
After all, after all the hassle you've put me through...I just wanted to stomp you a bit more."
Kenichi and Miu were finishing the job. The First Disciple of Ryozampaku slammed an enemy to the ground with a Jiu-Jitsu throw, then turned to the next one.
The blonde also took one down with a combination of flying knees while she grabbed him with her arms, called
FURINJI BENIKAWASEMI
When Kenichi completed his piercing punch, sending a sailor flying, shouting
MUBYOSHI
and Miu had slammed her opponent under her heel, in a spin, exclaiming
FURINJI KOUHOU YOKU
within a few seconds the kids realized… that they had wiped out all the armed enemies.
Miu was the quickest to think of the next step.
"Kenichi-san! We need to stop the smugglers before they finish unloading!" and she launched a flying kick to strike one in the back.
He could therefore no longer help his partner support the crate of weapons they were carrying, which ended up on the ground, on the dock.
But Sogetsu saw the crate fall and sprinted down from his hiding place.
Even though stacked one on top of the other and far from being loaded onto the vans, all fifty crates had been unloaded.
Their contract was over.
Sakaki and Agaard were throwing so many kicks and punches that their silhouettes could be seen moving like those Hindu deities with a thousand arms. But they were all distraction techniques. The finishing moves exploded in unison.
SHINCHII SEKANTSUKI! *
APUNCH!
Their direct rights both struck the opponent's jaw. For a moment they stood frozen in place. Then they shook off the paralysis and both jumped back, getting back into guard position.
"Tch… it seems we both lost our senses for half a second…"
"Uhm… yeah, but that doesn't mean the fun is over, right Sakaki?"
"Actually, if my ears aren't deceiving me… for you it's definitely over."
The fifty police officers of Inspector Honmaki, no longer paralyzed by terror at Sogetsu's presence, were advancing rapidly. The inspector, thanks to his experience, had positioned them as follows: the first line with riot shields, the second with shotguns loaded with rubber bullets and tear gas, and the third with submachine guns. Covering their advance were the armored vans.
As if that weren't enough, the distinct sound of multiple rotors could be heard from the sky. There were three Coast Guard helicopters called for reinforcements. One of them had a heavy machine gun mounted on one side of the passenger cargo. Suddenly, a megaphone began blaring commands:
ATTENTION! THIS IS THE POLICE FORCES SPEAKING! DROP YOUR CARGO AND SURRENDER!
Indeed, at that moment, the smugglers around the vans and the sailors assisting them, who were already being attacked by Miu and Kenichi and were terrified by all the events of the night, raised their hands and surrendered without attempting any resistance.
Sogetsu, lightning-fast, zipped past Sakaki and Agaard, saying:
"I'm retrieving the Disciples. Come away."
"Well… I'm sorry, Sakaki, but we'll have to finish this fight another time."
"Uhm… and I was hoping to take you on vacation inside Big Lock."*
"You could try… but then, who guarantees that one of these diligent policemen won't become collateral damage?"
"Fine… but only because I want to leave Apachai the satisfaction of smashing you with his own hands."
"Tell him to come challenge me whenever he wants," and with a wave, he vanished.
Sogetsu arrived where Ranma had landed the disciples and, quick as a tornado, scooped them up from the ground, holding them under his arms.
Ranma, surprised but not too much, realized he was being watched and returned the gaze.
"What's your name, boy?" asked the bearded Master.
"Ranma Saotome, Heir of the Saotome School of Indiscriminate Martial Arts."
"Umphf… I am Ma Sogetsu. Saotome, do you train at Ryozampaku with my brother?"
"Yes, for a few months now. So it's true, you're… Ma Kensei's brother?"
"That's right. And tell me… how is my brother?"
"Oh, well, I'd say he's fine… the usual, I suppose," making a half-grimace as he imagined him doing unspeakable perverted things.
The Chinese lowered his gaze. "He's still the same, then…"
"I have a question for you," Ranma said then.
"Why did you choose this way? If you had fought me directly… you would have definitely won, and perhaps completed your task successfully."
The man sighed. "Well, technically the weapons have been unloaded… even if they won't pay us, for mercenaries reputation is everything… and mine is already pretty bad as it is.
Moreover, the Masters don't fight two against one: we couldn't both fight Sakaki, so, regardless if you had run away instead of facing me, or had faced me and died, and regardless of Sakaki beating Agaard or not, the police would still have arrested everyone else.
But above all, the mission had already failed from the start. The presence of the police forced us into two options: defeat you and then ALSO annihilate the police to protect the cargo—and that would trigger a future military response that would make it difficult even for us to continue operating in Japan—or fight you and, regardless of the outcome of the confrontation, watch while the police arrested them anyway.
So, I chose to bet on their ability to unload and escape in time while our Disciples gained useful experience fighting against you. You don't find someone halfway between Expert and Master every day. Moreover, from the Katsujinken, so they wouldn't risk death in case of defeat. They'll become even stronger thanks to you."
Ranma recalled when they had made him face Kenichi at Ryozampaku. The Masters all reasoned the same way.
"One last thing… the technique Hermit tried to execute on me… you taught it to him, didn't you? What's it called?"
The Master looked at him for a long moment. "It's called Kyousa, and you did well to avoid it, or you wouldn't be here.
We will meet again, Ranma Saotome. I'm curious to see… if you will reach the top."
And he vanished, swift as a breath of wind.
"Tsk! You can bet on it!"
The four of Ryozampaku were resting next to some crates while the police finished the operations of arresting the smugglers and awaited further reinforcements to take away the seized crates.
Miu was doing the first emergency dressings on Sakaki, despite his insistence that they were just "four scratches."
Ranma had pushed himself to say "Good job" to Kenichi, and he had winked back to let him know he had seen his transformation, but that it was all okay. He thought no one else had.
After a few more minutes, Inspector Honmaki approached.
"Sakaki, Ryozampaku guys, I really don't know how to thank you. Seizing FIFTY crates of automatic rifles before they end up in the hands of gangs is truly a mission of utmost importance. We would never have succeeded without you, especially since Yami was involved."
"Well, thank you, Inspector, but I must admit we got lucky. Things could have turned out much worse," Sakaki admitted, "but you're right. Especially the kids, they were exceptional."
The three disciples lit up at those compliments.
Uhm… but it remains to be understood how it was possible that someone hired TWO Grand Masters for a single operation… and with the order to only protect the unloading of goods… this makes no sense… there must be something deeper.
As for Miu, despite the satisfaction of victory and the danger averted, she couldn't stop thinking about the girl with the red hair. Now she could no longer ignore her: she had interfered in their mission and then disappeared without a trace. She surely hid something shady.
Even though I want to trust Ranma, I need to unveil that girl's secret.
Glossary
Tekko: a type of metal arm glove that Kenichi and Miu use, worn on the forearms to protect against bladed weapons. Kenichi uses Saiga's old Tekko, Miu's father.
Karambit: a small curved dagger; Nusantara: small curved sabers; Golok: a kind of machete; Bawean: a short, thin sword; Kriss: a dagger with a twisted blade.
Shinken Shirahadori: the technique of closing the hands in prayer to stop a sword that is striking down at you in mid-air.
Shinchii Sekantsuki: a simple direct punch from Karate, but with enough power to penetrate any defense. It translates as "Penetrating Punch of the True Earth." In the manga, it is the technique with which Sakaki leaves a scar on Akira Hongo.
Big Lock: in the Kenichi manga, it is the super international prison created by the free nations, where even opponents of Grand Master level can be imprisoned.
Author's Note
I could tell you it is one of my favorite chapters to write, but it was not the first time i said that already…but it's true.
Introducing opponents from Kenichi's lore, their quirks, their contrived honor and twisted logic to justify small advantages they concede opponents, their rivalries, and have Sakaki and the protagonists ALL fight in the same chapter was a huge event.
Writing ALL the fights was SO MUCH FUN.
I hope the combinations between Ranma, Kokin and Hermit were clear to follow.
I also suggest you all to search the secret techniques whose names i put there on some Kenichi wiki, for the images. I'll start using them more and more by now.
Also, i'm a sucker for smuggling plots in a port, sue me.
But this specific smuggling plot is not just the conclusion of the investigation in chapter 12…there's more than meets the eye, as Sakaki correctly guessed…and it will be time for another day to discover what really is boiling up.
Also, Ranma keeping his secret to Miu is now at risk…there was a specific narrative reason for it, and soon a confrontation will arise…but first, next chapter will have a huge surprise.
And that surprise will be the REVELATION OF WHY RANMA LEFT NERIMA.
On a side note, i didn't really care at first, but recently i've come to realize that maybe some of the potential of the fanfiction is wasted if Nerima and Ryozanpaku characters do not interact too much…i could've done more with that.
To be honest, in my first draft, i had a specific interest in having mainly Ranma interact with some specific characters, reach some goals and do things IN the Kenichi world (which is fantastic and could go on forever), and only later i added some others from Nerima. Therefore, i realize they do not mix AS MUCH as they probably should. I did not have much for them to do.
Still, every character will have an arc and something to resolve by the end, and they will all be influenced by each other.
Also, Ranma developing relationships not just with Kenichi, Miu, Renka and Kisara, but with the Shinpaku guys and gals (which will start happening next chapter, too), will have an impact on the plot later.