Mount Quanjing,
Bayankala Range,
Qinghai Province,
China
The Jusenkyou guide looked up as he heard voices approach. Two more visitors to his lonely valley, one older man and a much younger one. They both wore white gis and carried backpacks. Oddly enough, the younger one had what looked like a toy stuffed animal perched atop his pack.
Wondering if these visitors would manage to leave without incident, he sighed and made his way towards them.
As they waited for the fat man in the Mao uniform to approach, Ranma looked out across the valley. The morning light made the view an impressive one. A white mist covered most of the valley, but in it were glimmers of light. Ranma surmised that it must be the sun bouncing off pools similar to the nearer ones he could see.
"Wow Hobbes, This whole valley must be full of pools!"
[Nasty place of you ask me.] Hobbes replied with a sniff. [All that water reminds me of your old man's brilliant plan for getting us -to- China. You know I don't like water. Besides, all that mist will make my fur limp.]
Ranma grinned. Hobbes could be so vain.
As he approached, the guide quickly started his spiel. They weren't rushing in, maybe he would get a chance to warn them!
"Here sir, is legendary 'Training Ground of Accursed Springs'" The guide swept his hand in a gesture that encompassed the entire valley before them.
"Are you prepared, Ranma?" asked Genma.
"This place isn't so impressive." Ranma lowered his pack to the ground, making sure Hobbes stayed on top.
The guide was beginning to have a bad feeling about this. "You very strange ones, no? This place very dangerous. Nobody use now. Is more than one hundred springs here and every one have own tragic legend!"
Just as he thought he might get a chance to finish, the guide watched in horror as the older man leaped out over the springs.
"Ranma! Follow me!" he cried and landed on a pole.
Ranma glanced back toward Hobbes.
[You go ahead, I'll stay here and guard the cookies.]
Ranma shot the stuffed tiger a dark look. "Don't you dare eat my cookies. You ate your share yesterday!"
[Did not!]
"Did too!"
"Ah! Sir! What you doing!"
Genma frowned as he realized Ranma hadn't followed his lead. Ignoring the yells from the guide, he looked back and located his son. There he was, playing with that stupid stuffed animal again! Genma had put up with this nonsense long enough! Moving faster than anyone with his bulk had any right to move, he jumped over and grabbed the stuffed tiger from off his son's pack. He leapt back to the pole and nodded in satisfaction. This should motivate his worthless offspring!
Ranma was indeed motivated. Almost before Genma knew it, his son's foot slammed into him. With a flip, Genma jumped to another pole and faced his son.
"Please Sir! Very bad if you fall in spring!" wailed the guide. Why was he even trying? They never listened. And these two had clearly blocked out everything except their fight. Sighing, he waited for the inevitable.
Genma had gotten more than he had bargained for. Ranma was not only motivated, he was furious. After only a couple of passes, Genma was covered with bruises. Genma was hurting, but he knew his son's weakness and he wasn't above exploiting it.
"Oops!" Genma cleverly pretended to drop the stuffed tiger. Now, as his son dove to catch it-
Ranma grabbed Hobbes with one hand and watched as Genma jumped straight through the space he would have occupied - if he hadn't grabbed the pole Genma had been standing on with his other hand. As his father landed with a 'Sploosh!', he swung up and perched on top the pole.
(Posted Sun, 20 Oct 2002 02:46)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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