The moon hung high in the night sky, luminous like a silver platter. Sitting quietly on the roof, Ray Chu stared blankly at the glowing orb.
"Still awake?" Master Roshi stood at the far end of the rooftop. It was unclear when he'd gotten there. "Goku and Krillin are already fast asleep—they wore themselves out today."
"Pika," Ray Chu replied softly.
Master Roshi raised his gaze toward the moon, lost in thought for a long while before finally speaking. "When I was young, I was lucky enough to win the World Martial Arts Tournament myself. I was so excited that night I couldn't sleep at all."
Ray Chu lifted a small sign: [Master Roshi, thank you!]
Master Roshi waved him off. "You earned that honor on your own; you don't need to thank me. Honestly, even I didn't expect you to grow this strong."
Ray Chu shook his head, then raised another sign: [I mean, thank you for your good intentions!]
Master Roshi let out an awkward laugh. "Since when did you know?"
[From the start!]
Of course, Master Roshi thought wryly. He's always been the cleverest of the three. No wonder he's come this far. "So, what's next for you?"
Ray Chu looked up again at the round moon and held up his sign: [I want to travel around, visit different places.]
"Good choice. Young people should see more of the world." Master Roshi nodded approvingly, then tapped his back. "I'm getting old and tire easily. You should rest too. You can say goodbye to everyone tomorrow."
"Pika!" Ray Chu suddenly called out, making Master Roshi pause and turn. After a moment, Ray Chu held up one more sign, written carefully: [Please say goodbye to everyone for me.]
Master Roshi hesitated, then nodded. "You don't want to do it yourself? Well, alright. I'll tell them for you."
With a gentle wave, Master Roshi turned and slowly walked back inside.
Ray Chu watched his figure disappear, then turned his gaze back to the moon. Silvery moonlight swirled softly around him, dreamy and mysterious.
It's time for me to go.
With a silent thought, Ray Chu vanished instantly, leaving this world behind.
...
Jusenkyo, Bayankala Mountain Range, Qinghai Province, China.
"Dear guests, this is the legendary training ground, Jusenkyo!"
"Are you ready to die, old man?"
"You insolent brat! Today you'll finally learn your place!"
Saotome Ranma and Genma, father and son, leaped into the air and landed atop bamboo poles suspended above the pools. Their eyes glinted sharply at each other.
"It's very dangerous here; no one trains at Jusenkyo anymore. There are hundreds of springs, each with its own tragic legend," the tour guide babbled on from the shore. Neither father nor son listened, their eyes locked fiercely on each other.
In the next instant, both figures shot upward and began exchanging blows midair.
As martial artists who had trained extensively around the world, their abilities were already far beyond ordinary fighters. Each strike blended technique and power perfectly. And in the Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts, whose philosophy was "victory at all costs," no tactic was too low.
"Look, a UFO!" Genma suddenly shouted.
Nothing happened for a long moment.
Thinking of a counterattack, huh? It's useless! From today on, I'll inherit the name of the Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts, Ranma thought cautiously atop a bamboo pole.
"Ah! Sir fell into the Spring of Drowned Panda!" the guide shouted from the shore, momentarily distracting Ranma.
SPLASH!
A huge panda burst out of the spring. Before Ranma could react, a massive paw sent him flying into another pool.
"Damn you, old geezer!" Ranma leaped out furiously—only to feel something strange, a sudden heaviness on his chest. Pulling open his shirt, he saw two unmistakably feminine shapes.
"Ah! Sir fell into the Spring of Drowned Girl. Legend says a young girl drowned there 1500 years ago. Since then, whoever falls in turns into a girl!" the guide explained cheerfully.
"You bastard!" Ranma attacked the panda without mercy. Genma fought back just as fiercely. Their battle grew increasingly violent—until suddenly a dark shape fell from the sky, got struck by both of them, and spun helplessly into yet another spring.
"Ah, that one is the Spring of Drowned Young Man. Legend says a young man drowned in it 3000 years ago, so anyone who falls in turns into a young man!" the guide narrated, unfazed.
[Did… did we just hit something?] Panda Genma waved his paws uncertainly.
"Damn it! This is your fault!" Girl Ranma yelled, but she couldn't leave someone to drown. Jumping into the spring, she dragged out the unconscious victim.
"It's… a young man," Girl Ranma muttered, gently slapping his face—no response.
[Well, he did fall from pretty high up, then immediately drowned,] Panda Genma scribbled on a wooden sign.
"Why did I turn into a girl? How do I change back?!" Ranma shook the guide violently by the collar.
The guide calmly splashed hot water onto Girl Ranma, instantly transforming her back into male Ranma.
"Hey—that's hot!"
[You turn into a man with hot water and a girl with cold,] Genma explained on his sign. After a splash of hot water, he too returned to human form.
"Then… what about him?"
Another bucket of hot water splashed onto the unconscious figure, transforming him into a small yellow mouse-like creature.
"A—a monster!"
Jolted awake by the heat, Ray Chu opened his eyes in confusion, glanced around, and quickly flipped onto his feet.
All he remembered was entering a portal of light and then blacking out. Fortunately, he'd activated a psychic shield beforehand; otherwise he might've become history's first dimension-travel casualty killed on arrival.
[Excuse me, where am I?] he asked on a sign.
"A Japanese-speaking monster?" Ranma turned suspiciously to the guide. Ray Chu followed his gaze.
"Ahem! He's a Chinese monster. There are many legends of monsters traveling the world in ancient times. It's not strange at all if one can speak Japanese," the guide scoffed, annoyed at these foreigners' ignorance.
Ray Chu quickly changed his sign into Chinese: [Chinese? Hello, my name is Ray Chu.]
"You see? Just like I said—a Chinese monster!" the guide said smugly.
WHAM! Genma kicked the guide over, impatient. What nonsense! Monsters didn't exist!
Becoming spirits has long been forbidden since the nation's founding!
Even though Genma Saotome was Japanese, he had clearly picked up some local cultural awareness during his time here.
SPLASH! Ranma suddenly dumped another bucket of cold water over Ray Chu's head. Instantly, he transformed into a human teenage boy. Ranma and Ray Chu stared at each other, stunned.
"Yes! A spring that turns me back into a guy!" Ranma immediately leaped into the same pool Ray Chu had emerged from—only to surface still as a girl.
"Only the first spring you fall into takes effect," the battered guide offered helpfully.
---
A/N: The canon Ranma lore is somewhat vague about mixing curses. The manga implies the curses merge rather than overwrite each other, but logically, Ranma falling into the Spring of Drowned Man after the Spring of Drowned Girl would probably have turned him into a futanari. Thus, the most logical explanation is that curses can't cancel each other out—indeed, the original ending strongly implies the curses have no permanent cure.
T/N: WHATTT FUTA??? and i see pretty smart way to transform into a guy heuheuheuheu also Ray Chu x Ranma...? DONT JUDGE MEEEE IT CAN BE YAOI!!! AND A HETEROSHIP!!! ITS ALMOST PERFECT!!!
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