The Dragon and the Ghost Part Four Good Fang the Dwarf. Ranma stood with Ryu on the edge of the forest once again three days later. Ranma was once again in his female guise and paced back and fourth across the grass as they awaited the third member of their party. There was a wind blowing across the field making the tall grass that surrounded them wave like the waves of a great ocean. The sun rose slowly into the sky to the west giving the field an almost golden appearance. "She isn't late yet Saotome," commented Ryu from his back. He was lying on the ground watching the stars fade away into the sunlight. "Yeah, but I hate waiting for stuff like this," commented the red haired elven girl. "You should learn patience," said a familiar voice. Both of them jumped to their feet as Shampoo walked towards them a fair distance away. She smirked as she realized they had heard her. "Great, I hate telepaths," grumbled Ranma as she sat down with her legs crossed as the elf princess approached. "You are not in tune with your mind then? How odd. It seems you were not brought up within the elven people. I can see that much in your aura. Your connection with nature is weak at best." Shampoo stopped about five feet away from the pair and smiled again. "Shall we be on our way?" "Is anyone with you?" asked Ranma with a sudden air of nervousness about her. "Do not worry. I came alone this time. Great Grandmother had other duties to attend." Two large round maces protruded from over her shoulders on each side of her head. In her hands was a simple pole that was a little taller than she was and a small leather bag was hanging at her side as well. "How much magic do you have on you?" asked Ryu as he ignored the conversation. "Why do you ask?" "Magical objects are easy to detect. We don't need that on a mission like this. If you have any, I suggest you find a place to store them before we get to Joketsuko. You won't need them," said the boy casually as he stood up and turned away from them. "Ranma, do what you have too. I'll be at the base of the hill when you're ready." "What did he mean by that?" asked Shampoo as she eyed the redhead carefully. "If you're going to be traveling with us, you have to know. First, I need your vow. You will never tell anyone of what you see here now." "Very well. I give you my sacred oath. I will never tell," agreed Shampoo. Ranma smirked and pulled a small flask from his side. "I'm not really an elf." He poured the contents over his head and shifted. His shoulders broadened as his chest vanished and he grew a few inches taller. His hair changed to a solid black as well. The elven girl dropped her staff and placed her hand over her mouth in shock. "What?" "Don't worry, the spell that did this to me is a natural one. It can't really be detected. It looks like nothing more than nature itself to any prying wizard." He turned away from her and chuckled to himself for a moment. "If you have any questions, keep them to yourself. I've shown you all you need to know." Shampoo's eyes were wide with terror and she fell to her knees. "Jusenkyo." Ranma paused and turned to face her again. "Eh?" "You are cursed, by Jusenkyo?" "Oh, you know about that do you? Good, it'll save me a headache later on. Let's get moving." He turned away from her and started walking again. Shampoo nodded silently and followed after him. The cursed springs were a tragic story indeed. A great elven warrior met her death in the valley; she cursed the land around her to prevent her attacker's escape. Only one of the drow who had slain her had escaped the valley. Unfortunately for him, an envoy of elves waited for him at the valley's exit. --------------- The group walked for the rest of the day in relative silence. There wasn't much to see, other than a few run down villages. Finally they stopped for the night. Ranma dumped a pile of wood in the center of the campsite. The wood was all long since dead and dried. She looked at him in silence for a moment and finally spoke up. "You only took dead wood from the forest?" "It would take too long for fresh wood to burn, less smoke that way too. It's an old thieves trick," replied the boy with a shrug. Ryu appeared with a tiny dead deer slung across his shoulders and smirked at the pair. "Well, I see you two are getting along all right." "Shut up Ryu," grumbled Ranma as he started the fire. He held his palm over a few twigs and an orange glow formed in his palm. Shampoo watched in astonishment for a moment and shifted slightly. It was uncomfortable for her to watch a human like him. It just looked weird. "Oh now what?" snorted the pigtailed youth. "You wield an elven blade, take only dead wood from the forest, and light a fire without invoking a spell. You are still in tune with the natural force! How can this be? Only an elf would be able to do such a thing." "She didn't seem all that upset that you turn into one, why would this bother her so much?" commented Ryu as he looked at his long time companion. The pair seemed to be ignoring her presence. "I dunno. I guess I just got a few extra perks from that curse is all. It's no big deal." Shampoo nodded at the explanation. Ranma had not directed his answer at her, but it was enough. It made sense in an odd way. Once one's spirit was connected to the life force of the planet, nothing could take it away. That was one of the things that made the drow so dangerous to her kind. They represented nature as well, in their own way. Elves were the light, life, and balance. Drow were their opposites, the shadows, death, and chaos. "We should pass Antioch tomorrow. We don't need supplies, so I doubt if we'll need to stop there. It's best if we go around to avoid any problems," said Ryu as he started to gut and clean the animal. Shampoo noticed that he did not discard the innards, but placed them inside a medium sized leather pouch. He noticed her gaze and smirked again. "Waste not, want not." "Indeed," commented the elven princess. "We've learned a lot in our travels. You aren't the first elf we've ever come across you know." "Yes. I recall a sacred jewel that went missing within the mountain village of Darut a few months back." "Actually, we've never stolen from elves. That one can be chalked up to the wraiths that live near the place. They like shiny objects, I'm not sure why, especially since they hate light," said Ryu lazily. "How would you know?" "This guy I know named Shinosuke. The elves hired him to get it back for them. He couldn't remember half the story, but you don't forget an encounter with the wraiths." Ranma laughed out loud at the memory and fed the fire. She noticed him casually flick a beetle off the dead wood into the dirt and it scurried away unharmed. A small smile formed on her lips. He seemed unaware of his connection to the great magical force of the world, yet he still respected it unlike any human she had ever seen. ------------ After their meal they sat around the flames together and merely absorbed the warmth of the flames. Ryu shuddered as a wind blew across the forest clearing they had chosen as their campsite. "Something up?" said Ranma as he noticed the other boy's discomfort. "I don't know. It seems as if this is going too smoothly." "Count your blessings then," replied the pigtailed boy with a shrug. "It is going to rain tomorrow," said Shampoo. Her nose wrinkled slightly as she lay back with her arms folded behind her head. "Yeah, the wind is changing. We're going north, so we'll have to stop somewhere along the way and get some new clothes." "The dwarves at the foot of the mountains would be the best place to find what we need," commented Ryu. "Bah, dwarves," grumbled Shampoo. "We've got enough money. They shouldn't be too troublesome." Ranma smirked at the face she made. "Mountain elves don't seem to mind them too much." "They don't have the same habits as us. Dwarves are pests; they tunnel under our homes and destroy the forest in their wake. 'Children of the Earth' indeed." Both men snickered slightly at this and lay back against the ground to get some sleep. "I'm more worried about how much they'll charge us for supplies," commented Ranma. "Dwarven goods are expensive." "Well, they won't charge us too much I'll wager," said Ryu as he closed his eyes. "They don't know who we are, but they'll know our trade by our clothes if nothing else. Having her with us will help as well; the mountain elves keep a good relation with them. If she keeps her mouth shut about who she is, they might not know the difference." "Maybe we should go alone Ryu. The dwarves will smell the forest on her. They'll charge us an arm and a leg then. I don't want to attract attention by stealing any more than we have too." "Sounds good to me," snorted Shampoo. The idea of entering a dwarven village was not appealing to her. "We have a few days before we have to worry about it. Get some sleep, we've got a long hike ahead of us," snapped Ryu in irritation as he rolled onto his side away from them. "Jeez, bite my head off will ya?" said Ranma as he closed his eyes and went to sleep. Shampoo stayed awake a short time longer and listened to the sounds of the forest around her. The insects' chirps and the nocturnal birds' cries filled the air. Eventually, she drifted off as well. -------------- Akane stood watching the night sky over the imperial city. Her face was stern and an air of menace seemed to surround her as she simply stared off into the distance. Her mood was less than pleasant despite the view. A few floors over her, her sister was visiting Herb again. Her hand reached up slowly and fingered the tiny scar on her cheek for a moment. It was best not to think of things like that. Still, it haunted her. "I'll kill that lizard yet," she growled quietly. There was no doubt that Lime and Mint had both heard her. Their hearing was exceptional, they made no indication that they had and remained in her room standing guard by the door lazily. She turned to look at the pair. They were totally relaxed from the looks of them. Neither seemed to be particularly alert, they both looked half-asleep. Had any other guard been found that way she would have killed them herself where they stood. She smirked as she realized that they were much more alert than they let on. The pair was probably more intelligent than they let on as well. Herb seemed to enjoy mind games like that. She sighed and turned her gaze back to the sky. By her door, Lime and Mint quietly conversed amongst themselves. "Hey Lime." The wolfen boy poked his companion in his side lightly. "What is it Mint?" grumbled the tiger boy with a small sigh. "Do you think we'll get to see her titties?" "Probably not, she always makes us leave before she changes clothes." Lime's brow furrowed slightly in frustration at the mere thought. "Maybe she'll forget?" said the wolf boy hopefully. "That would be nice, but I doubt it," said Lime. "Yeah. It isn't fair that Prince Herb gets to see Nabiki's titties. He should let us see them too." "You're right. It isn't fair. He's really greedy. He's also the prince, so he's allowed to be greedy. There's nothing we can do. You remember the last time we asked him if we could see her titties too don't you?" The wolf boy shuddered at the thought and hung his head. "With all these girls around, you'd think we'd get to see somebody's titties." "Yeah, it's just like when we were still the Musk. Only there are girls now, and they still won't let us see their titties. We aren't even allowed to touch them." "I don't understand. Hey, Lime?" "What?" "Has anyone told you what that word 'pervert' means yet? Everyone calls us that, but I still don't understand." "I dunno. Maybe it's a weird word for a beast-man?" "Or maybe it's someone who's not allowed to look at titties!" said Mint with a tiny twinge of fear in his voice. "Boy, that would be bad wouldn't it?" said Lime as he tried to think. He glanced down at the ground with his hand under his chin and noticed a pair of black boots just in front of him. Both men looked up to see Akane staring at them from about two feet away. She had a wineglass in her hand and she was frozen in the act of pouring herself a drink. Her eyes were wide and she was almost dumbstruck at the two idiots in front of her. She crushed the metal cup in her hands and started to shake slightly. "Both of you. Get out now." she growled between her teeth. "Uh oh." said the pair in unison as they scrambled towards the door. They vanished into the hallway and slammed the door behind them. Akane threw her cup onto the floor and snorted in disgust as she slumped down in a nearby chair. "Idiots." ------------- Tatewaki Kuno strolled down the halls of the palace with a smirk on his face. In his hands was a dozen roses. He was dressed in finely woven purple clothing with a short yellow cape fluttering behind him; his sleeves were puffed out on his shoulders with a red trim around them. On his head was a ridiculously expensive hat with a four-foot feather bobbing in the air above him. He paused when he noticed two figures emerge from his beloved's room. "Knaves! Who might you be to enter the Lady Akane's room?!" Lime and Mint turned to see a long blade of steel pointed at them. "Hey, it's Lord Kuno," said Mint in surprise. "Ah, it is the lovely Lady Tendo's servants." "Lord Herb's servants," corrected Lime. "Yes, whatever. Stand aside so that I might see your mistress this night! I have come offering my undying love!" "Uh, no," said Lime. "I beg your pardon. Did you just refuse the order of a noble of the House of Kuno?" The blade was pointed at them again. Neither of the beast men looked particularly worried at the moment. Lime stepped forward and bowed his head. "Pardon Lord Kuno, but our orders are to not let you through. You understand of course." "She ordered you not to let me through?" Both of the men in front of Kuno nodded. "How odd. I wonder what her reasoning could be? He thought about it as hard as he could for a moment. I have it! She wishes to keep me away to protect her purity! Surely the pure heat of passion would draw such a maiden to me! Fear not Akane Tendo! We shall wed on the morn, thus securing your honor and purity!" He attempted to rush by the pair but was held back easily. "What is this? Why do you still keep me from my love?" "Because our orders haven't changed," said Mint with a shrug. "Very well! I release you from your bond! Now let me through!" "Sorry, only Lady Akane can do that. She ordered us to tell you that too," said Lime. Kuno slumped forward and hung his head. "Curses! Why must the Lady Akane be so good at playing hard to get! I have it! I shall fetch my grappling hook and climb up to her sill proclaiming my undying love!" The man rushed off into the halls of the castle. "Does he even know that he just said that out loud?" asked Mint. "Probably not. Come on, we have to stop him before he gets himself killed." ------------ Less than five minutes later Kuno climbed up his rope towards Akane's room. His eyes were full of righteous tears as he scaled the palace wall. "Oh Akane Tendo! Ever since that tournament where you bested the greatest of the Emperor's Knights, and then I allowed my own defeat by your hands! When you revealed yourself to be a noble lady of the court! My heart soared with joy! I shall at last take you as my bride lovely my lady! Come, let us gaze at the moonlight as you whisper tales of my greatness into my waiting ears!" "That idiot! She'll hear him!" whispered Mint as he clung to the stone wall just outside Akane's room. Lime was opposite the rope that hung from the windowsill. "I don't think he realizes what will happen if she finds out he's out here." Kuno reached the window and noticed the pair on either side of him. "Knaves! How could you know of my plans? Surely you must have the keenest of intellects!" Lime and Mint moved to grab him so they could crawl over to another window and try to stop him from being an idiot for at least the rest of the night. However, another voice stopped them. "Lime. Mint. Cut the rope." Both of the beast men looked up to see Akane glaring down at the scene with her arms crossed over her chest. "Yes mistress," chimed the pair. To say they were disappointed would be a bit of a stretch. "Wait knaves! I demand that you stop at once!" cried Kuno as he attempted to scramble up the rope. "Sorry," said Mint. "You heard the lady," agreed Lime as he nodded and began to saw at the cord with one of his claws. "Gotta obey the Mistress," said Mint as the rope snapped. Kuno fell away and landed in the moat with a mighty splash. "He shouldn't bother us again tonight. You two may retire." Akane turned away from the window and went back into her room again. "I wish the Emperor would have let me pave that section of the moat over like I wanted too." The two beast men looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders before climbing back into the hallway through another window. ------------ Ranma stretched his arms as the party walked along a dirt road early the next morning. "I still say we should have kept to the forest and fields," grumbled Shampoo. "Look. The trick to not looking suspicious, is not acting like you don't want to be seen," said Ranma lazily as he strolled ahead of Ryu and Shampoo slightly. "He is right. We'd have looked suspicious to anyone watching the area sneaking around the woods that way. This is the best way to travel," said Ryu ending the discussion. The group walked on in silence for a time. The scenery was relatively bland, mostly fields with a few trees spotting the landscape in every direction. Occasionally, they would run across a farm, or a home on the side of the road. Around noon, a rough voice cut through the silence ending the picturesque scene. "You! Ranma prepare to die!" The thief dodged as a black and yellow blur slammed into the ground in front of him. "What the?" Ryu pushed Shampoo back with one hand and drew his broadsword. After a moment he smiled and put it back in his scabbard. "What is going on?" screamed the elf. "Nothing. It's just an old friend of Ranma's. There's nothing for us to worry about here." "Well, if it isn't Good Fang the runt. How ya been?" said Ranma as the dust cleared around the dwarf. The diminutive man held a large hammer in his hands and stepped out of the crater he had created with a vicious looking snarl an his lips. Ranma removed the Katana from his back and tossed it to the side of the road. "You owe me a sword boy. I want my blade back, and yer hide for stealing it!" snapped the dwarf angrily. "Oh, you mean that toothpick?" replied Ranma as he spread his feet apart and raised his fists. "'Tis a fine blade! Fine enough for you to keep it for yourself! Lord Kuno himself had me fashion that blade for him! It was worth two million gold for him!" "You twerp. Who do you think hired me to steal it? For only ten thousand gold I might add." "Enough talking!" roared the dwarf as he charged forward with his hammer held high over his head. At the sidelines Shampoo gasped in shock. "Is he out of his mind? He can't fight a dwarf with his bare hands! That disgusting creature will tear him apart!" "Yes. If he can hit him," agreed Ryu with a small nod. He watched the fight rather intently. Shampoo looked at him and blinked. "What?" "Don't worry, Ranma kind of likes him. He always takes it easy on the runt." Ranma jumped up as the dwarf slammed his hammer into the ground creating a crater that spread out for about four feet. He landed lightly behind the creature and smirked as he took up his stance again. "I'll rip you in half when I get my hands on you Ranma!" roared the dwarf as he jumped forward and cleared ten feet. Ranma sidestepped and sent his knee up catching the creature in the gut. Good Fang snarled and rolled across the ground as he landed. He stood up and shook his head for a moment before spreading his feet and clenching his fists. "I'll get you yet!" "Talk, talk. You haven't managed to beat me yet runt," taunted Ranma as he jumped towards his opponent. "Well, Good Fang doesn't forget either!" snarled the dwarf as he fell to his back and kicked up with his feet. Ranma was caught in the chest and thrown up into the air. The dwarf was on his feet in the same instant and swung his hammer in an attempt to catch the pigtailed boy on his way down. Ranma managed to twist in mid air around the strike and actually managed to land feet first in the dwarf's face. Good Fang was slammed into the ground hard. Ranma jumped away and Good Fang stood up again shaking his head. "That's a good hit, a good hit indeed. Not enough though." "I didn't think it would be," said Ranma calmly. He took the initiative again and passed just above Good Fang's fist. The pair stood facing away from each other and the dwarf fell to his knees. "How do you do that?" snarled the dwarf with an angry glare back at his opponent. "I can't even feel the puny poundin of a human, but you..." Ranma turned to face him and wagged his finger at the dwarf. "That's my little secret." On the sidelines Shampoo gasped. "Katsutenshin Amaguriken? That's impossible!" "Huh? Katsu wazzit?" said Ryu as he glanced over to her. "It is a secret technique within our tribe! It takes elves hundreds of years to learn it. No human could possibly master that technique!" "I don't know what you're talking about. Speed punching of that caliber is part of his school of martial arts. It's not some elven technique." Shampoo looked at him and frowned. "That can't be true. Tell me the name of this style!" "We have sworn never to reveal the names of our schools. All I can say, is that Ranma's father developed both our schools when he was young, and sealed them. Only years later was Ranma allowed to learn this art." "And you?" "We all have our own pasts Princess. We are thieves, so ours is more precious and dangerous to us than most." Shampoo nodded and turned back to the battle. "I see." ----------- Ranma dove away from another of the dwarf's kicks. He smirked as he spun around and lashed out at the creature's belly sending it to its knees once again. "Blast you!" snarled the dwarf. He staggered to his feet again and then fell face first onto the dirt raising a cloud of dust. Ranma laughed out loud and wiped the sweat from his brow as he sat down against a pile of debris from the battle. "Should we rob him now?" asked Ryu as he approached. "Are you kidding? That would piss him off even more," snorted Ranma in reply. "I'll take that as a yes," said Ryu with a knowing smile. "Let him be," snapped Shampoo as she pushed him away from the fallen dwarf. "What on earth did you do to get this dwarf so angry with you?" Ranma smiled and nodded towards Ryu. "We stole this." He held up the pigtailed boy's discarded katana and tossed it back at him. "That is an elven blade, the design..." started Shampoo. Ranma tossed the weapon to her and she caught it one handed in the air. The weight almost put her nose in the dirt. She let go and sat up with her eyes wide with shock. "Aye, tis an elven design indeed, but not made by elven hands." Good Fang sat up from his place on the ground. He was slightly delirious at the moment and his dwarven accent showed even more. Name's Good Fang, or Ryoga by the dwarven tongue. I'm a blacksmith by trade." "A man named Kuno hired me to obtain it for him. I agreed since the price was right, and it seemed difficult enough to steal from a dwarven village. Unfortunately, I was just starting out and didn't realize how dangerous that could be. I hadn't perfected my technique and ol' Nice Teeth here caught me in the act. I got away, and he's been after me ever since." "Indeed I have! You've been carrying around that blade for almost four years now boy! Give it back to me and I might only maim ye!" Ryoga stood up and fumed angrily at the boy. "Another time maybe," snorted Ranma casually. "That job was my retirement money! You..." the dwarf started to shake with anger. "You dope. You wouldn't have been paid anyway. Lord Kuno hired you to make it!" Ranma turned towards Shampoo's questioning gaze and shrugged his shoulders. "He liked the design of an elven blade, but the toughness of dwarven swords." "Ranma is correct. If Kuno had not hired him, he would have had you killed rather than pay the money," said Ryu calmly. Ryoga hung his head and grumbled slightly. He kicked some of the dirt in front of him and squat down. "Tis a matter of principal." "Don't bother reasoning with him. He's still punch drunk at the moment," commented Ranma. "I'll show you who's punch drunk whelp!" "Enough!" snapped Shampoo as she stood between them. "Out of my way elf girl! I'll crush you as well!" The dwarf backed away though when a bonbori slammed into the ground in front of him. The impact easily matched the crater he had made with his hammer. "I am not as weak as I appear Child of Earth. Ranma has yet to show you his true power I'd wager, after all, you are still alive." "Thanks," grumbled the pigtailed boy halfheartedly. "I've seen you. You carry around that blade as if it does not exist on your shoulder. You are not as weak as most humans, and you are holding back terribly in this battle." "You've got a good eye," said Ranma carefully. "That's the same thing I said when we first met boy," said the princess. "What's she talking about?" said Ryu as he stood between them. "We met on the street before that whole mess with the staff started. I blew her off cause I thought she was a fortune teller." "And you were a man at the time?" Ryu looked back at Shampoo. Ranma merely nodded. "You knew about the two of us, before that test didn't you?" "That there were two of you? Yes. Who you really were? No." "All this is real interesting, but I still got screwed, and it's all his fault!" snarled Good Fang as he pointed his finger at Ranma again. "Stupid, stubborn, dumb..." Ranma was cut off as Shampoo interrupted again. "What if he paid you for the sword? Two million was it?" She smirked and put her hand on her hip. "Fine. I'll let him live then." Ryoga nodded in satisfaction. "Isn't good business to let that kind of money get away." "Oh, and closing your shop so you can hunt down one thief is?" commented Ranma with his arms crossed over his chest. "That's business principal!" retorted the dwarf angrily. "If you'll pay me for my blade. I'll be on my way!" "How about if I just give it back?" said Ranma with his eyebrow raised. "It's no good to me! The buyer is gone! Money or no deal!" "There never was a buyer fool! He hired me to steal it!" retorted Ranma as he put his face up to the dwarf's. "Now boys, lets behave for a moment. You will receive payment for the sword, after this job is finished." "What?" said everyone but Shampoo, she was standing with a confident looking smirk. "Come now Ranma. You said you weren't going to retire anyway. What good is ten million in gold going to do you?" said the elf. "I didn't say I'd never retire!" retorted the pigtailed boy. "Two million. Tis a fair price for the blade, the same as the original deal." "Ten thousand! The price I was quoted to steal it!" retorted Ranma. "I never got paid for that job either! The jerk tried to double cross me too! Plus, I got stuck with carrying this heavy thing around and you trying to kill me every month or so! Not to mention that guy's weird sister. She was this sorceress chick, and she had a thing for me. Man that was creepy." "One million at least! There's no other blade like that one!" "Half of that, and nothing more," retorted Ranma. Ryoga pondered the figure for a moment and sighed. "Deal." "Finally. Come on, let's go," said Ranma as he turned back to the bewildered looking Ryu and Shampoo. "Yes lets," agreed Ryoga as he started walking with them. "Where do you think you're going?" said Ryu and Ranma at the same time. Shampoo giggled into her hand and turned away from the scene. "I'm staying with you until I get my money!" snapped the dwarf. "Are you nuts? We aren't going on a mining expedition you little troll!" snapped Ranma. "Aye. You're off to steal something very valuable," said Ryoga. "I know my place and I won't interfere with you. However, you ain't leaving my sight until I get my gold." Ryoga crossed his arms and glared at the two men. "Look Happy Tooth or whatever," started Ranma as he threw his hands up in the air. "That's Good Fang!" "You don't trust us?" asked Ryu as he knelt down to look Ryoga in his eye. Dwarves were more apt to negotiate with someone they looked in the eyes. Ranma had been staring the runt down for the whole argument. It was an old trader's trick to keep them from losing too much money to the greedy little trolls. "No, you're thieves!" snapped Ryoga. "He does have a point," commented Shampoo. "You aren't helping," said Ranma. "Just forget about it. We aren't going to talk him out of it," said Ryu as he stood up and started walking again. "He'll get lost in a day or two anyway," agreed Ranma finally. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" snapped Ryoga as he charged after them. Shampoo blinked and stared at the man. "He's that Ryoga? The legendary wandering dwarf? He's supposed to be the greatest blacksmith and fighter the dwarven people have seen in ten thousand years! But he's supposed to have the worst sense of direction in all of the three worlds!" She stood up and started after the group again. "Ranma, you are certainly becoming very interesting." ------------ TBC... Next time: The group arrives in Joketsuko, and Ranma runs into yet another old friend.