Ranma sighed. He really had his work cut out for him.
Oh, the parents were all in favor of this move. Genma and Soun had gone on and on about his decision to teach the girls some 'self defense,' and then proceeded to get thoroughly drunk. Nodoka had some strange idea that this was just an excuse so that he could see the girls "all hot and sweaty." (He was damn glad that Akane hadn't heard that part!)
So there wasn't any problem from that point. Now he just had to do it... and that was going to be a challenge.
He had shuddered when they described their previous 'tactics.' Basically - that Akane would take thing head on while Nabiki and Kasumi supported her. Not bad in an of itself... but that put Akane in a precarious position with no reliable backup. If they had encountered something that could take Akane out, there would have been no way for Nabiki or Kasumi to get to her in time.
Which was why he was so insistent on this training. They each needed to be able to cover for each other if they wanted to have the best chance at surviving.
Not that Ranma intended to be left out of the whole thing anymore. Oh no, these girls were (in one way or another) like family to him. He wasn't going to sit on the sidelines. If he had a choice in the matter, none of them would be doing this... but he already knew that was a futile idea. So if he couldn't stop them, he'd train them and fight with them.
Of course, that would imply that he survive teaching them first.
Kasumi was just naturally not aggressive. Despite wielding fire, Kasumi was very passive when it came to fighting. A soft style would be perfect for her... but that was the problem. Genma never had much use for 'soft' styles, considering their philosophy to be counter the path of a 'True Martial Artist.' Ranma had learned the basics of many of the styles, to better defend against them, but not much more than that.
Akane was at the other end of the spectrum. She was too aggressive. Suddenly finding herself with an endurance that surpassed Ryoga, she had somehow gotten the idea she didn't need to worry about defense anymore. Her already sloppy defense almost completely disappeared. Ranma was going to have to do some work to get it through her head that she still needed to protect herself. Not to mention it was far past time she got a hold of that temper of hers! Fortunately, in this case, one of Genma's training methods was exactly what she needed... provided Ranma stayed out of arms reach of her when not practicing. Yeah, using a marker to put embarrassing phrases over her face and cloths should take care of that problem...
But what really worried him was Nabiki. She had always disdained combat, preferring intellectual pursuits. Well, intellectually she knew she needed the training, but that wasn't stopping her from complaining the whole way. She was, at best, a reluctant student, and seemed to resent the necessity of the whole ordeal.
She'd learn. Whether she wanted to or not. But it wasn't going to be fun for either of them.
Ranma leaned back against the roof and considered not the training, but the fight, as the girls described it. Those... things had sounded like tough opponents. And he somehow knew they were only the tip of the iceberg of what was to come. Not to mention that rumor he heard that someone had seen Pantyhose Taro fighting some of those other heroes out there. If it was true, sooner or later he would be coming after Ranma and Happosai again. And Taro had always been one of his toughest challenges...
Ranma sighed, and shook his head. He had to face it. If what was coming was as bad as he thought... he'd need to have a couple surprises or three if he wanted to win. Especially if he wanted to keep everyone alive while doing it. And there was only one way he could think of to do that. (Well, only one way that didn't come with a price tag he wasn't willing to pay...)
Ranma leapt off the roof. He knew his mother occasionally got letters from Ryuu Kumon. The Senken schools that Genma created could definitely tip the scales in his favor...
(Posted Fri, 13 Dec 2002 17:22)
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