"Not surprising," said Genma.
"Well, I hope he does better than the last promising student of that style," said Muhni Shaht. "I've heard of Happosai."
"AHK?! Excuse me?" said Genma, assuming a pose of shock and warding off evil.
"A student who appeared over a hundred years ago, or was it three hundred? After awhile the years begin to speed up, you know." Wai Ehr Fu tugged on his beard. "I remember him well. Little fellow. Bulbous head. Only got as far as the first plateau before he ran off. Pity. I was rooting for him you know."
"The dread Master learned here?" Genma asked.
"Oh, you know him?" Wai Ehr Fu asked musingly. "Ah. The little fellow came to us, a clumsy young boy full of dreams."
"Dreams of being a thief and stealing underclothes," put in Hai Pahn, "but dreams nonetheless. If only he had completed the training."
Genma gaped. Anything Goes wasn't the full style? Anything Goes was part of this other ancient style?
"I wonder what ever happened to him. I remember him playing with some of the other children," mused Wai Ehr Fu.
"Stealing their lunches and flirting with schoolgirls," added Hai Pahn.
"Ah, those were the days," said Wai Ehr Fu. "When men were men, women were women - and frankly in my day that arrangement worked pretty darn good."
"Now its all right buggered up," agreed Hai Pahn. "Just look at Boy George."
"Who?" asked Genma.
"He's just a wanna be Liberace," suggested Auld Fogei. "Why I remember in my day... I forget."
"Can we get back to Ranma?" asked Genma, a little nervous at repeated mentions of Happosai.
"Hmmm, oh he's fine. Should be along shortly," said Hai Pahn. "He's already healed and learned one of the basic manuevers of the Monkey King Style - Monkey See - Monkey Do!"
Genma scratched his head. "'Monkey See - Monkey Do'?"
"Speed learning technique for quick absorbtion of physical techniques and development," said Auld Fogei. "Young whippersnapper. Pay attention why don't you?"
"It is said," said Hai Pahn, eyes gleaming menacingly as he seemed to loom over Genma, "that a true practitioner of Monkey King Style can call upon any form of the Art he has had a chance to study by entering the ultimate state of Monkey King Style."
"It has an 'Ultimate State'?" asked Genma, eyes wide.
Shadows seemed to fall over Auld Fogei. "It can only happen when the practitioner of Monkey King reaches a state of perfect focus. When all their being is focussed on overcoming a foe or reaching a goal. Even their own survival is discarded in this focus. In such a state, the practitioner of Monkey King is invincible. Even killing them might not be enough to stop them from destroying their opponent. Remember Mount Neverclimb?"
"Mount 'Neverclimb'?" repeated Genma.
"Top half was smashed, now they call it Ever-rest because that's where the last true practitioner of Monkey King died." Hai Pahn nodded sagely. "Ah, here's your boy now."
Genma stared at his son, quite obviously healed, stumbling his way out of the crypt.
(Posted Wed, 02 Jun 2004 09:36)
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