Ranma 1/2 story from Shonen Sunday 6, 1990 Original story is Copyright (C) 1990 Takahashi Rumiko/Shogakukan Translation is Copyright (C) 1990 Ragnarok (mikem@comspec.UUCP) Fukusayou no higeki ...no maki [Tragedy of the explanatory notes ...episode] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ranma has switched to female form. Wearing a kimono, he's getting ready to fight Akane, who's angrily whirling her oversized battledore around. Ranma: (annoyed, to himself) I don't believe it, the girl doesn't understand what I'm telling her. Crowd: (looking at Akane) Such superhuman strength... Akane stops whirling her battledore and pauses to think. Akane: (to herself) After all the trouble I had to have this power... I won't give it up so easily. She thinks back to the recent conversation with Ranma on the rooftop just a short while ago... Akane: (peeved) I'll grow whiskers!? What's this? Ranma: That's what the gouriki soba explanatory notes said. So be quiet and take the antidote already. Akane: You liar. You're just unhappy because I've become stronger than you. I'll take the antidote if you can defeat me. Ranma: Fine, then, let's have a battledore fight match. Back to the present, with Ranma... Ranma: (smug) A fight isn't won on power alone, I'll teach her! Ranma takes five shuttlecocks and leaps up into the air as the match begins. Announcer: The match begins! Ranma slams the five shuttlecocks at Akane. Ranma: Take this, five shots! Using her oversized battledore, Akane slams all five shuttlecocks right back at a disbelieving Ranma. Moments later, a huge explosion starts where all five shots converged. Ropes and chains can be seem amidst the smoke... Announcer: These specially-made shuttlecocks explode when missed! What kinds of devices come out is not known!! Akane: This is too sudden... When the smoke clears, there are chains, ropes and confetti lying around a kimono, but Ranma is... Akane: Huh? Gone!? Akane angrily begins scanning the crowd looking for Ranma. Akane: Ranma, running away is a cowardly thing to do!! Akane neglects to examine her battledore, where Ranma is holding on. He carefully drops a shuttlecock on Akane's head. The shuttlecock turns out to be a dud. Akane angrily takes a swing at Ranma. Akane: You're acting so vain!! Ranma jumps away from Akane, and fires off another shuttlecock. Ranma: Take this! Akane takes a swing at the shuttle, which suddenly deflects on its own down at her feet, to the crowd's surprise and her dismay. Crowd: A ball that changes speed!! It's a fork-ball! The shuttle breaks open. Exploding out at high speed towards Akane, who barely manages to get her battledore in front to protect her, are... Crowd: (incredulous) Fo-forks... Genma: Akane's weakening!! Soun: Now's our chance!! There's a sudden loud announcement which catches Ranma's attention... Soun: Ranma, use this shuttlecock!! Ranma turns around to catch what turns out to be a gigantic shuttlecock. He smacks face-first into it, causing it to explode. Huge chains whip out, panicking Akane. She slices a few chain links in half. Crowd: Oh, these chains are... huge!! The sliced-in-half chain links give Ranma an idea. He fires a few off at Akane, pinning her arms and legs down as the half-links impact into the ring. Ranma: This is the end!! Ranma drags the huge chains over Akane crosswise and secures them firmly to the ring posts. Crowd: Oh, it's done! Ranma: (chuckling) It's my victory. (to Akane) Now, just as you promised, swallow the antidote. Akane is enraged upon realizing that she's been beaten. Akane: Who's... going to swallow that?!! Akane gets up, still secured by the chain links. She takes most of the platform surface and posts with her. Suddenly, she feels something happening on her face... Ranma: (stunned) Ah... Akane, in total shock, covers the sides of her face with her hands. Crowd: Wh-what's happening!? Soun: (upset) Akane, it can't be... whiskers!! Akane suddenly jumps far away, crying, still covering her face. Ranma: (annoyed) I ran out of time... What a stupid girl. A large upright portion of the platform falls over on top of Ranma's head. Somewhere, very high up on a certain tall tree, Akane is hanging on, still sobbing. Ranma (now a male) climbs up to her. Ranma: Yo. Haven't you had enough of those whiskers? Akane sobs a couple more times while working up the courage to stop hiding. She cries rather pitifully as she uncovers her face, whiskers and all. Ranma laughs as hard as Akane cries. Akane slices the top of the tree off as she angrily tries to hit Ranma, who just gets out of the way. Akane: (upset) What's so funny?!! Ranma produces the last of the antidote cherries and flips it to Akane. Ranma: (nonchalant) Here's the antidote. Swallow it. Akane catches the cherry and looks at it in awe. Akane: Ranma... I'm sorry, but it's just that it was terrible when you said this would take my power away... Akane swallows the antidote. Ranma: (smiling) That's stupid. I'm not the kind of guy that holds grudges. The whiskers disappear, which cheers Akane up immediately. Akane: Ah... Ranma: (sympathetic) Good, they're gone. This is more like you, Akane. I'm glad. Akane: (embarassed) Ranma... Back at the Tendo household... "Once more!" Crash! "Once more!" Crash! "Once more!" ... Akane and Ranma arm-wrestle on the floor of Tendo doujou, with Akane losing every time. Ranma: Once more! Akane is soundly beaten. Ranma laughs insanely and exults... Ranma: (conceited) Wa ha ha ha ha, how's that, this is how it is when it's an honest match... Akane, upset, has a mallet ready. Kasumi and Nabiki, in kimonos, look on... Kasumi: (concerned) Ranma was beaten at arm-wrestling... Nabiki: (disgusted) That's the reason he was holding a grudge all this time, isn't it... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Next: Kaette kita kouchou ...no maki