"What sort of advantage?" Akane asked dubiously.
"Something like the battle dogi or the super-soba-noodles that you had. That sort of stuff should be right up your alley."
"That sounds dishonorable," Akane observed. "Wouldn't that be like cheating?"
"If weapons and special moves are allowed they can't ban you for using a magic item or having eaten something magic that enhances your powers," Ranma argued. "We won't even have to tell anybody about it."
"I don't know, it still sound like cheating to me. Can't you just find some other martial artist for me to train with? I am sure Ryouga would be willing if we asked him nicely," Akane suggested.
"Nah, too late for that. You are far too weak and behind the others skill wise. The tournament is too soon for you to catch up with the others by normal training. And they won't just sit idly while we are away. They will all train too. Shampoo will have the Old Ghoul training her. You won't stand a chance against them," Ranma declared. "No, drastic measures are asked for now."
"Ranma!" Akane was not happy with that observation.
In the end it took Ranma some quick-talking and being malleted, but Akane finally relented and agreed to come with him for a few weeks and give his idea a try.
The next morning Ranma was already waiting for her when she came down the stairs with her backpack. Unfortunately her sisters and aunty Saotome were waiting, too.
"I tell you I won't do a thing to train Akane. No sparring matches, no teaching her secret techniques and I won't help her with her own training. I won't even point out if she is doing something wrong. I will just accompany her on her way," Ranma was promising.
"Well, I guess there is nothing in the contract against that." Nodoka considered her son's words.
"Hello, Akane," Kasumi greeted her, "I have prepared some provisions for you to take along on your training trip with Ranma."
"It is not a training trip." Ranma insisted. "Akane might do some training on the way, but I won't help her with it."
"Right," Nabiki drawled, still unconvinced.
"No, sister," Akane assured her, "I promise on my honor as a martial artist that I won't let Ranma help me with my training."
"Yes, I swear, I will be completely unhelpful," Ranma added.
"And you will both come back in time for the tournament?" Nabiki asked. "You won't just run away and elope?"
"Yes, we won't jeopardize your business opportunity," Akane replied.
"We will be back in time and we will still be unmarried," Ranma agreed.
Nabiki was still unconvinced but Nodoka overruled her.
"I belive that my son and your sister are both honorable individuals and will keep their words," she declared.
Nabiki was making some comments under her breath about Nodoka's track record of allowing 'honorable' martial-artists to go on training journeys, but she seemed disinclined to press the point.
Meanwhile Ranma had gotten busy with the couple's assorted luggage and travel gear, repacking them into different backpacks.
"What are you doing?" Akane inquired as Ranma emptied the contents of her cute little backpack into a monstrous rucksack together with most of the rest of the things they were planing to take.
"You heard what I promised," Ranma explained. "I can't help you, so you will have to carry all the stuff that we will both be using by yourself. If I carried some of the camping supplies for you it would be helping."
Ranma ended up with one small backpack for himself and a very large one that he handed Akane who was just making her tearful goodbyes to her sisters.
"Don't you want to say goodbye to your father too?" Ranma asked her as she accepted the luggage.
"I left a note. I don't want to make any goodbyes that tearful," she told him as she shouldered her load with a grunt.
After another round of hugs the couple finally departed and the sisters and Ranma's mother watched them quickly walk off into the morning.
"Man, this backpack is really heavy," they could still hear Akane complain. "What did you put into that thing? Lead weights?"
"Don't worry you will get used to it quickly," Ranma assured her good-naturedly. "Let's go a bit faster if you can. We are on a schedule here...."
As they watched the couple's now rapidly retreating backs Nabiki frowned.
"You don't think...?" she mused.
"I am sure that Akane will not willing let Ranma train her and that Ranma will stand by every letter of what he has promised," Nodoka answered with a smile.
Read the comments on this episode
(Posted Sat, 03 Dec 2005 09:29)
Questions? Problems? Suggestions?
Send a mail to addventure@bast-enterprises.de
or use the contact form.
らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
All other series and their characters are © by their respective creators or owners. No claims of ownership of these characters are implied by the authors of this Addventure, or should be inferred.
The Anime Addventure is a non-profit site.