Halftime
By Aaron Ziegler
alziegle@norcia.cs.csbsju.edu
http://bingen.cs.csbsju.edu/~alziegle

Chapter 21: Time to Spare

   Mastery of martial arts, as a rule, requires self-discipline
and sharp mental focus. So it is, perhaps, somewhat ironic that
Ranma's (arguably) most potent technique is one that requires a
near total loss of self-discipline and a hopelessly skewed mental
focus. This technique is called the 'Cat-Fist'. Ranma's father,
never one to coddle his boy while training, attempted to force
his son to learn this coveted technique by covering him with fish
sausage and throwing him into a pit of starving cats. This
indelicate training style had two effects: first, Ranma developed
an overwhelming and unreasoning fear of cats, and second, he
learned the 'Cat-Fist'. Provisionally. Provisionally, because
Ranma could only actually execute the technique when his fear of
cats reached such a level that the larger portion of his brain
went into shock, leaving more animalistic parts of his psyche in
control. Basically, Ranma would become a cat in all aspects
except body. Potentially, a very dangerous cat. A cat with the
knowledge of the 'Cat-Fist'.
   "RRROWLL!" screamed Ranma, leaping from the pit and tackling
an extremely startled Dalton. The two of them tumbled into the
spring Dalton had intended for Robo.
   Dalton evidently lost concentration, because the force fields
ensnaring his remaining prisoners abruptly dropped. Frog grabbed
the Masamune and wasted no further time in making his way over to
the wounded Robo. "Cure2," Frog chanted, and the air shimmered
around Robo's metal form. When the air cleared, Robo's gash was
gone, and his power was restored.
   There was a great deal of thrashing, spitting, and howling
coming from the pond where the now-feminine Ranma was pounding on
Dalton. Finally, with a feline screech, she struck Dalton and
sent him flying out of the pool. Ranma scrambled out of the pond,
looking as angry as...well, as angry as a wet cat. Dalton,
amazingly, was still conscious. Ranma hissed and leapt at him,
only to be knocked to the ground by a bolt of energy. Dalton
looked bruised and furious, as he prepared to deal a more lethal
blow to the recovering cat-girl.
   "Lucca, Robo," Magus suddenly called. "Let us finish this."
The two turned to look at the dark sorcerer and found that he was
holding an egg-sized blue stone.
   Lucca nearly leapt with joy. "You've got the Blue Rock? Hot
dog! C'mon, Robo!"
   Robo nodded, and the three shouted, "Omega Flare!" The bodies
of Lucca and Magus suddenly began to flicker, appearing to exist
in two places at once. Their four images formed a diamond with
Lucca on the right and left, and Magus on the top and bottom.
Magus's magic grasped Robo and lifted him high into the air,
where the robot's body underwent an odd change. First, the two
halves of his torso split apart, as they did when Robo needed to
vent excess steam. Then, the luminescent green sphere in the
heart of Robo's workings extended on a single piston-like rod.
Four small cylinders emerged from Robo's torso to point at the
extended sphere, positioned in a diamond-like pattern reflecting
that of Magus and Lucca.
   Now came Lucca's turn. Lucca began to channel an intense
stream of raw fire magic into Magus, who, in turn, broadcasted it
up to Robo as shadow magic, a type more compatible with Robo's
energy weapons. The four cylinders around Robo's heart sphere
beamed shadow energy into the sphere, and the sphere's green glow
began to fade, gradually turning from green to black. When the
sphere was too intensely black to look directly at, a black laser
beam, thick as a tree trunk, blasted forth to tear a gash into
the ground near to where Dalton was standing. Magus, still
channeling Lucca's power, expended a little of his own to
carefully rotate Robo to point his laser at the target.
   Dalton had abruptly realized that Ranma was probably not as
great a threat as the hideously powerful beam of black light that
was chewing up the ground as it slowly neared him. The Sorcerer
of Jusenkyo called upon Lavos for aid, and constructed a magical
shield using every ounce of power Lavos was willing to loan him.
   The laser beam finally found its mark, and Lucca began the
final phase of the technique. Basically, she doubled her power
output. Magus, no longer needing to adjust Robo, now had his
hands full channeling Lucca's additional power, which soon poured
forth from Robo in a multiply enhanced laser beam. The dark beam
lashed forth, and struck Dalton's shield with a tremendous
explosion of dark energy.
   There was a reason that Magus was willing to participate in
this particular Triple Tech. Lucca was by far the greatest magic
user of the group in terms of raw power, but lacked the precision
and control to make her magic truly effective. Magus, on the
other hand, had spent years mastering control. The Blue Rock
allowed Magus to channel and control Lucca's power using his own
magic, a task he would normally not be powerful enough to handle.
Throw Robo into the mix as an engine for further channeling and
concentrating power, and the result more than made up for any
diminishing of Magus's own techniques. When Lucca, Magus, and
Robo had finally faced off against Lavos on their world, it had
been the 'Omega Flare' that had finally destroyed the creature.
It went without saying that Dalton and his second-hand magic
didn't stand a chance.
   Dalton's shield held for a few moments, and then splintered.
Fortunately for the Sorcerer of Jusenkyo, the resulting explosion
threw him clear of the direct path of the deadly black light.
Dalton was stunned, and severely drained. He quickly sat up, and
saw the wrinkled old woman whom he had imprisoned before. "Good
night, child," the woman murmured, and then poked Dalton firmly
with her staff. For Dalton, the world went black.
   Six of the seven former prisoners gazed impassively down at
the defeated Sorcerer. (Now that Dalton was no longer a threat,
Ranma had completely lost interest in him, and had begun to try
to lick herself clean.) The various Jusenkyo soldiers had
(wisely) decided to stay far away when their master began to
battle his former prisoners, and (equally wisely) moved even
farther back once he had been beaten.
   "Should we kill him before he wakes up?" Lucca asked
reluctantly. The young inventor had little stomach for killing an
unconscious man, but could see little alternative. Dalton was far
too powerful with Lavos backing him up.
   "That will not be necessary," Cologne responded. "He will not
wake until I release the sleep-point I have inflicted upon him."
   Abruptly, Magus noticed an aspect of Dalton's aura that had
previously been hidden by the immense power Lavos had been
channeling to the Sorcerer. His eyes widened, but returned to
their usual contemptuous gaze before anyone had a chance to
notice. "At any rate, I believe it would be in our best interests
to leave him alive, for now." A few of the others glanced at
Magus in puzzlement, but accepted his judgement. If Magus, of all
people, wanted to leave an enemy alive, he must have an extremely
good reason.
   Ayla shouted to the cowering Jusenkyo. "Dalton beaten!
Jusenkyo people are no more. Go tell army surrender, and we not
hurt. Ayla promise." Ayla repeated her ultimatum in ancient
Chinese, for those who, for whatever reasons, had not learned
their master's tongue. The response was immediate, and positive.
Most of the hidden warriors emerged and began cheering (evidently
Dalton had not been the most popular of leaders), and several ran
off, evidently to inform their fellow soldiers.
   "And what about Ranma?" asked Robo curiously.
   Cologne sighed. "Do not fear. She should return to--Son-in-
Law! Do not eat that bug!" Ranma hissed resentfully at Cologne,
but the beetle she had ensnared managed to escape her grasp. "As
I was saying, she should return to normal once Akane Tendo
arrives. She seems to have a calming influence on her when she is
in this state." If only Shampoo were to have a similar effect,
Cologne thought bitterly.
   When Akane, Crono, and the others finally arrived with the
Joketsuzoku army, a festival of sorts was in full swing, with the
former Jusenkyo people celebrating their release from tyranny,
and the former Jusenkyo conscripts celebrating their release from
imprisonment. The Joketsuzoku were only too happy to join in the
festivities to celebrate the end of the war.
   The moment Akane came into view, Ranma yowled happily and
bounded over to rub her head against Akane's leg. Akane, tired
and distracted, was nonetheless able to resist the immediate
impulse to hammer Ranma into the ground for being a pervert.
Instead, she smiled and said, "Hello, Ranma. Good kitty!" Akane
asked for some hot water.
   Shampoo, for once, wasn't throwing herself at Ranma. She had
her hands full guarding an unconscious Mousse from Lucca. "Stupid
Fire Girl! Mousse no in good shape for see you now!"
   "Like you care, you Amazon bimbo," Lucca snapped. "I bet you
did this to him yourself! Outta the way!"
   A resounding slap distracted the two from their 'discussion'
for a moment. Akane was stamping away from Ranma, muttering
something about ungrateful jerks, while Ranma himself (now male
and no longer catlike) was massaging his sore cheek and looking
confused.
   Ranma's attention was suddenly caught by Troffimov, who was
chatting with Ayla, his arm wrapped around the shoulders of a
pretty brown-haired Joketsuzoku maiden, one who was constantly
gazing up at the mustachioed Saxophone Tai Chi master with
undisguised adoration. "Such charming customs your people have,
my dear," Troffimov chuckled. "When lovely Rouge here challenged
me to a duel, I never imagined that she intended to wed me upon
my victory." The saxophonist smiled at his companion. "Not that I
have any complaint, mind."
   Ayla smiled. "Is good law. Ayla help write. With law, only
strong blood come from outside tribe. Also encourage women to
stay strong, so can fight off unwanted mate."
   As Troffimov moved on, Ranma asked Ayla, "Is that true? Did
you really help to write the Amazon laws?"
   Ayla turned to him. "Ah, Ranma! It good see you normal again.
Ranma make very handsome man, but very ugly cat!" Ayla winked,
and Ranma blushed. Then Ayla answered Ranma's question. "Yes,
Ayla help write laws to help make Joketsuzoku strong. Why?"
   Ranma frowned. "Even the one where any Amazon defeated by an
outsider woman must give that woman the 'Kiss of Death'?"
   Ayla looked puzzled. "'Kiss of Death'? What that?" Ranma
described the death sentence awarded to any outsider female who
defeats an Amazon in combat, and how he had received one from
Shampoo the first time he had defeated her (he had been female at
the time).
   Ayla snorted. "Is stupid law. Ayla not write. It do nothing
make Joketsuzoku strong. It maybe make outsiders weak."
   "It is, nevertheless, the law, though it will not be written
for centuries," Cologne's voice suddenly interrupted. "And like
all the laws of the Joketsuzoku, good or bad, it must be
followed." Cologne glared at Ranma. "Son-in-Law, I detect your
intent. It will do no good for you to appeal to Ayla regarding
your marriage to Shampoo."
   Ayla raised a questioning eyebrow at Ranma, who started to
shuffle his feet. "Yeah, I was kinda hopin' you could get Shampoo
outta my hair. I accidentally defeated her as a guy, and now
she's tryin' to force me to marry her!"
   "This true?" Ayla asked Cologne. The old woman nodded, grimly.
"Was not intent of law to force outsider to marry, only
Joketsuzoku."
   "It is how the law has been interpreted," Cologne responded.
"I can name six precedents without trying."
   Ayla frowned, and shifted into her ancient Chinese dialect for
privacy from Ranma's ears. "Ranma already in love. He not love
Shampoo."
   Cologne answered in the same dialect, though a bit haltingly,
having never spoken it aloud before. "But Shampoo loves Ranma.
Shampoo's welfare is my sole concern. Besides, it IS the intent
of the law to strengthen the blood of our village, and I have
rarely seen blood as strong as Ranma's. Once he is wedded to
Shampoo and safely returned to our village, his other love will
fade, to be replaced with love for his wife. Shampoo will be a
good wife for him, and I have found no better husband for
Shampoo."
   "Is wrong!" Ayla insisted.
   "It is the law," Cologne answered, nonplussed.
   Ayla's mind whirled. She had never imagined that the laws she
had written could be abused in such a manner. She had mistakenly
assumed that it would be understood that an Amazon's defeat at
the hands of an outsider gave that outsider the OPTION of
marriage. (Though Ayla had also been of the opinion that few
outsiders would refuse such a prize; the women of the Joketsuzoku
were, in Ayla's opinion, almost uniformly attractive and
energetic.) Completely unintentionally, Ayla had added to Ranma's
burden. She recalled the unspoken vow she had made after training
with Ranma by the riverside. She would help Ranma, if she could.
And, there was, technically, a way. "Ayla know another law."
   Cologne's eyebrows lifted. Ayla continued, "Is right of any
Joketsuzoku to challenge elder when disagree with decision on
law. Ayla Joketsuzoku. Ayla challenge you."
   Cologne's eyes narrowed. It was true, though such challenges
were, for the most part, rare. It was a long-standing tradition
that to oppose the decisions of an elder was rash, and more than
a little rude. So, through the power of social customs alone, the
decisions of an elder were regarded as final (save by rash fools
like Mousse). But Ayla lived many centuries before even the roots
of those social customs and traditions were established, and felt
no such bar. "It is true, you have that right."
   "Of course it true," answered Ayla smugly. "Ayla write that
law, too. Law say also, Cologne can choose champion, if too old
to fight."
   The woman was deliberately mocking her. Ayla knew quite well
that Cologne was more than capable of taking care of herself.
Founder or not, Cologne was sorely tempted to teach the woman
some manners. "Don't be absurd."
   Ayla nodded, and shifted back to Japanese for the benefit of
Ranma, who was looking hopelessly confused. "Ayla make challenge.
If Ayla win, Cologne renounce Shampoo's claim."
   Ranma was a bit worried. Cologne was a tough opponent. "And if
you lose?" asked Ranma, a bit hesitantly.
   Ayla shrugged. "Nothing change. Is right of all Amazons to
challenge elder."
   It sounded pretty good to Ranma. He knew from experience
(painful experience) that he himself was, as yet, no match for
the irritating old woman. If Ayla was, the fight would be worth
it merely to see Cologne finally get demolished. "Thanks for
doing this for me," he told Ayla earnestly.
   "Ranma have many problems. Ayla try to solve the one Ayla
helped make."
   "Let us begin, then," announced Cologne impatiently. She was
standing with her staff poised and ready. Ayla nodded, and
adjusted her stance.
   Cologne's eyes widened for a moment. Ayla had chosen a
fighting stance that indicated-
   "Cat Attack!" shouted Ayla, leaping at Cologne.
   No, not the 'Cat-Fist', but something similar, if less
refined. Cologne would not be surprised if this 'Cat Attack'
technique was the forerunner of the devastating technique she was
more familiar with. But even a crude form of the 'Cat-Fist' was
likely to be very painful if not properly met.
   Cologne's staff whirled, fending off the complex series of
kicks, punches, scratches, and bites that Ayla attacked her with.
Suddenly, Cologne saw an opening. A chance to finish the fight
before it truly began. While blocking a vicious punch with her
staff, Cologne jabbed a pressure-point just above and to the left
of Ayla's belly button. But nothing happened.
   Desperately, Cologne lashed out with her staff, managing to
knock Ayla away for a moment, but received a painful scratch on
one arm in the process. What could have gone wrong? Cologne's
exhalation-point had been flawless. Ayla's diaphragm should have
expanded, abruptly forcing all of the air from her lungs. Not a
fatal, or even serious attack, but it would have been enough to
distract Ayla long enough for Cologne to hit another pressure-
point, perhaps the same sleep-point she had used on Dalton. What
had gone wrong?
   What Cologne failed to take into account was evolution. Ayla
was a product of the distant past, and while humankind had
evolved little in the 65 million years since Ayla's time, a few
changes had been made in the human physique. Nothing major, but
enough to redirect many of the lines of chi upon which pressure-
point techniques depended. If Cologne had, instead, struck a bit
farther to the left, she would have attained the desired result.
   The end result was that most of Cologne's most potent
techniques had been rendered all but useless, though Cologne
attempted two more pressure-points before admitting it to
herself. She was reduced to her more physical arsenal of attacks.
Fortunately for her, it was a formidable arsenal indeed.
   "Bakusai-Ten-Ketsu!" Cologne cried, jabbing her staff at the
ground before her. The staff connected with the breaking point of
a buried boulder, causing it to shatter. Cologne's precision with
the technique allowed her to direct all of the jagged fragments
toward Ayla.
   The primitive Amazon leapt high into the air, crying, "Triple
Kick!" as the fragments passed by beneath her. Ayla's leap
terminated against the side of a nearby boulder. Ayla braced
herself against the boulder, and launched herself at Cologne foot
extended. Cologne caught the kick on her staff, and Ayla flipped
acrobatically through the air to brace herself against the edge
of a hut (which was, fortunately, sturdy enough for her
purposes). Ayla launched herself again, and was once more
blocked. This time, Ayla used the staff itself as a springboard
to launch herself straight up into the air. A moment later, Ayla
plunged downward, both feet extended for the final kick. Once
again, Cologne caught the blow upon her staff--but this time, the
staff shattered into splinters.
   Cologne cursed herself for a fool. She had been so certain
that she would win with ease. This battle was not going at all
well. Ayla had already drawn blood (though not much blood;
Cologne's old skin was tough and leathery, and Ayla's scratch had
barely broken the surface), and all Cologne had to show for it
were a few bruises on Ayla's body where her pressure-points had
misfired. Worse, Ayla had destroyed her staff. Cologne had not
fought unarmed (outside of training) for more than eighty years.
   "DIE, STUPID FIRE GIRL!!!" Shampoo's voice suddenly rang out.
   Cologne's eyes narrowed, and met Ayla's inquisitive gaze. By
unspoken agreement, the two of them ceased their fight for the
time being. This needed to be sorted out.
   The two of them, along with Ranma (who had been astounded by
Ayla's performance), turned just in time to see Shampoo lunge at
Lucca, bonbouri at the ready.
   "Protect!" Lucca chanted hastily, and a magical barrier
against physical attacks coated her from head to toe. A bonbouri
slammed into her gut, but its effectiveness was greatly reduced
by Lucca's shield, merely knocking her onto her back. Shampoo
struck again, and this time Lucca caught a bonbouri in each hand.
"Fire," she snarled, and channeled heat into each spherical mace.
The weapons almost instantly began to melt, flowing down around
Lucca and Shampoo's hands. Lucca was immune to the heat that she
produced, but Shampoo was quickly forced to drop the ruined
weapons. Lucca threw the molten masses to the ground and, without
a great deal of grace, lunged for Shampoo's throat. She collided
with Shampoo, and both were knocked to the ground.
   "STOP THIS!" Cologne commanded. Shampoo and Lucca flinched,
and disengaged, glaring angrily at one another. "Now, what is the
cause of all this?" asked Cologne, all too afraid that she knew
the answer.
   "She say Shampoo love only Shampoo!" Shampoo accused.
   "It's true!" Lucca shot back. "Ranma doesn't want you, but you
try to take him anyway. I want Mousse, but you keep him for
yourself, even though you don't want him! You're selfish and
heartless!"
   "Ranma do want Shampoo! Ranma love Shampoo!"
   Lucca raged, "Then TAKE him, and let me have Mousse!"
   "Hey-" protested Ranma.
   Shampoo rolled right over his protest, "Fire Girl no can have
Mousse. Mousse MINE!" Abruptly, Shampoo bit her tongue.
   "Oh, Shampoo," Cologne muttered, shaking her head
disapprovingly.
   Ayla looked stern. "Two husbands is too many. Shampoo need to
choose."
   Shampoo looked defiant. "Shampoo not marry Mousse! Mousse is
weak, stupid-"
   "-Mine," Lucca finished for her. "Since you hate him so much,
I'll be happy to take him off your hands. You can have Ranma."
   "Um, don't I get a say in this?" offered Ranma.
   "NO!" shouted Lucca, Shampoo, Cologne, and Ayla. Ranma was
suitably cowed.
   "How about me?" offered a weak voice.
   "Mousse!" Lucca yelped gleefully.
   Mousse, having only recently regained consciousness, looked
somewhat haggard and resigned. He had witnessed the fight between
Lucca and Shampoo, and had come to a decision. "I know how to
bring this to an end. Shampoo, I love you. I love you with all my
heart." Shampoo resisted the urge to grin triumphantly. "I've
loved you since I was a child, and I would gladly die a thousand
deaths for you. More than anything else, I want you to be happy.
But I've finally begun to realize that what would make me happy
is not what would make you happy. If I were to marry you, I would
be the happiest man alive, but your happiness would be forfeit.
My happiness is nothing compared to yours. When Lucca returns to
her world, I will go with her. Ranma, be a good husband for
Shampoo. Make her happy."
   "Why won't anybody LISTEN to me?" Ranma protested. "I'm not
marryin' ANYONE!"
   Predictably, Ranma was ignored. "Lucca," Mousse continued. "I
do like you. I'm not sure whether or not I love you, but if it
will make you happy and it will make Shampoo happy, I'll be glad
to stay with you."
   Lucca frowned accusingly at Shampoo, undoubtedly blaming her
for Mousse's obvious state of distress. Shampoo herself was in
shock. She had never expected Mousse to give her up. Mousse,
whether Shampoo appreciated him or not, had become a pillar of
her existence. He was also (as much as Shampoo hated to admit it)
a safety net. If, for whatever reasons, Shampoo was unable to
marry Ranma, she would always have Mousse's love to fall back on,
whether or not she ever decided to actually accept that love.
   Cologne studied Shampoo's trembling form with concern. "Ayla,
may we finish our confrontation another time? It would seem that
my great-granddaughter needs to study her heart in greater
detail." Ayla nodded sympathetically.
   Some time later, it was agreed that something needed to be
done about Dalton. The seven from Crono's world, along with
Cologne, gathered around the peacefully sleeping former dictator.
   Crono suggested that they should wake the man to interrogate
him. Crono had been joyfully reunited with his eleven cats
(though somewhat uneasily, knowing that they all turned into
wolves in cold water; fortunately, once they had been fed, they
were generally rather friendly wolves), and was eager to know
what had happened to his mother. There had been no sign of her
among the prisoners.
   Marle shook her head sympathetically. "You heard what the
others said. Dalton is just too powerful."
   "With all seven of us here, not to mention Ranma and the
others, we should be able to contain him," suggested Robo.
   "If I might interrupt," answered Magus. "I believe that there
is something you should know. Dalton is cursed."
   A few eyebrows raised, but no one really seemed surprised.
"Really? What does he turn into?" asked Lucca.
   Magus shook his head. "No, you misunderstand me. That," Magus
announced, pointing at Dalton, "is his cursed form."
   Everyone was silent. Without a word, Magus reached into his
cloak and withdrew a thermos that he had prepared for this
meeting. He poured the hot water onto Dalton's sleeping form.
Dalton's arrogant features shifted and changed, and his body
became smaller. Soon where Dalton had lain, was a matronly,
middle-aged woman, still dressed in Dalton's eyepatch and now-
oversized clothing.
   Crono's eyes widened as he recognized his mother.
   Everyone stared for a moment with shocked fascination. Then,
the moment was shattered by a loud explosion, apparently only a
few tents away.
   "Hmph," muttered Magus. "So passes the Dalton Energy Engine
Mark I." Magus snapped the cap back onto the thermos with a
flourish. He eyed the thoroughly unthreatening woman lying before
them. "Now, I believe, our captive will be much easier to
 contain'."
   Crono stared imploringly at Cologne. The ancient Amazon
warrior nodded, and tapped the pressure-point that would revive
Crono's mother.
   After a few tense moments, Crono's mother's eye blinked open.
"Crono?" she whispered upon recognizing her son. "Crono!" She
quickly sat up, and embraced the redheaded swordsman. "Oh, Crono!
I had the most awful dream!"
   Abruptly, she realized that she couldn't see out of one eye.
She suddenly clawed at her face, and ripped off the eyepatch. She
stared at it with horror, her face becoming pale. She looked down
at the rest of her clothing. "It wasn't a dream, was it?" she
asked, hoarsely. "All those people we...he...I drowned...
I...he...we were going to k-kill you!" Crono's mother began to
sob. "I was going to feed you to your own cats! Oh, Crono!"
   As Crono's mother cried, the others looked on with compassion.
All save Magus. Had anyone been watching his face, they might
have been surprised to see a look of unmistakable envy appear for
a moment before vanishing beneath Magus's perpetual contempt.
   "Does this mean what I think it means?" asked Marle, color
draining from her face.
   Magus nodded. "Somewhere in these training grounds is a cursed
Spring of the Drowned Dalton. It is unusual, to say the least, to
have a spring with so specific a curse. I don't believe it still
exists in 1995. But more importantly, as long as it exists,
anyone that falls in is going to become Dalton."
   "That is really weird," noted Lucca. "But it makes sense, in a
way. Lavos could use Dalton until he got himself killed, and then
make another one using the pool. The new Dalton would only have
the memories of the Dalton that drowned in the pool, and so would
be happy to build a new energy machine for Lavos. I wonder if
Lavos ever intended to grant Dalton his immortality at all?"
   "Did Dalton even know about the pool?" asked Marle.
   Crono's mother finally pulled free of her son's embrace. Still
sniffling, she answered, "Yes. He considered it 'insurance'. He
had made arrangements so that if he was ever killed, a prisoner
would be tossed into the pool where he drowned himself. I was the
first." She laughed bitterly. "Dalton was amused at the thought
of using his enemy's mother for his revenge."
   "Are there any other Dalton's?" asked Cologne pointedly.
   Crono's mother shook her head. "None authorized. It really
would be best to destroy that pool before someone accidentally
stumbles in, though," she added.
   Crono asked how a pool could be destroyed.
   "Dry it up," answered Crono's mother and Magus simultaneously.
Crono's mother smiled at the dark sorcerer, who merely grimaced.
   The smile soon faded to be replaced with a more serious
expression. "You also need to destroy Lavos, and the sooner the
better. I'll be happy to show you how to get to Lavos, and then I
can guide a few of you to the Spring of the Drowned Dalton."
   "Wow," noted Marle.
   Crono's mother smiled wanly. "Like it or not, I have Dalton's
memories now. Might as well use them. Let's go."
   Crono helped his mother to her feet, and the nine of them made
their way outside to inform the others of the situation.
   Meanwhile, a few miles beneath Jusenkyo, Lavos contemplated
its situation. It was a creature whose structure was the product
of the genetic and technological evolutions of countless planets,
though most of those had been inherited from its parent. Yet
despite the supposed genetic superiority of Lavos's kind, there
remained a few primal components that had yet to be weaned from
the genetic soup. One of those components was the emotion known
as fear, and Lavos was now experiencing this emotion to a
tremendous degree.
   The fear began, perhaps, when it felt its cousin die. To
Lavos's knowledge (and Lavos's knowledge included everything that
it or any of its ancestors had ever learned), no Lavos had ever
been destroyed. There was fear there, but also fascination. If it
could acquire the genetic makeup of the creature or creatures
that somehow actually managed to destroy one of its kind, it
could be a genetic leap of unheard of proportions.
   So, it had reached out across the interstellar void, as well
as through time, to try to ensnare one of the creatures. The
first thing to reach its notice was a simple teleportation
portal, apparently generated by one of the natives of the world.
Lavos connected to the portal and pulled the native through it.
The creature it found was, regrettably, not one of the ones for
which it searched. So, it reached out again, and this time, felt
a flicker of a temporal anomaly. Reasoning that these Lavos-
destroyers might very well possess time-travel, it diverted the
path of the anomaly just before it closed. This time, it returned
with twelve creatures, only one intelligent, and none of them
could possibly have been the ones it sought. Finally, it decided
to interrogate its acquisitions.
   To Lavos's delight, it found that the first was familiar with
the Lavos-destroyers, and, even better, had several ideas to help
Lavos thrive on this world. The creature--Dalton, it called
itself--provided descriptions of the Lavos-destroyers precise
enough for Lavos to pinpoint them all, even though only three of
them had been engaged in time travel at the time. Lavos
transported them all to its world, but, due to the inexact nature
of attempting temporal-interstellar transportation without an
existing portal or time gate to connect to, scattered them
through time and space. One ended up in the right time, but
several miles from Jusenkyo. One actually landed in a spring of
Jusenkyo, but several thousand years too late. The rest ended up
on a large, densely populated island to the west of the continent
under which Lavos rested, merely a few years shy of the date of
Lavos's planned emergence. The Dalton creature seemed certain
that they would find their way to them eventually, and encouraged
Lavos to help it to conquer the world while they waited. The
Dalton's reasoning, that a conquered world would be much less
threatening to Lavos, seemed sound, and so Lavos loaned the
Dalton the power it needed to construct the Cursed Training
Grounds of Jusenkyo.
   All had been going according to plan. As the Dalton had
predicted, the seven Lavos-destroyers had converged on their time
and location. But what it had not foreseen, was that they had
picked up allies. Lavos didn't know whether these companions were
themselves Lavos-destroyers or not, but together, they managed to
overwhelm the Dalton, and destroy the machine that the Dalton had
been using to feed Lavos. It had suddenly become clear to Lavos
that these Lavos-destroyers, rather than ending up on its genetic
menu, might very well destroy Lavos itself.
   Lavos's fascination disappeared, and the fear became very
real. The first thing Lavos did was to shut down the short-range
gateway it had established between its underground lair and the
surface. The gateway had been used by the Dalton on those rare
occasions when it needed to deal with Lavos personally (most of
the time their telepathic connection sufficed). The gateway was
well hidden, but Lavos had no intention of providing its hunters
with easy access.
   Next, it began the laborious process of trying to dig its way
deeper underground. The digging members of its protective organic
shell-housing had not seen use for millions of years, since the
day it first dug its way underground. It would take time for them
to resume work. Lavos's proverbial heart leapt into its throat,
when its shell-housing suddenly registered the presence of an
intruder just outside.
   "Bakusai-Ten-Ketsu!" snarled Ryoga, stabbing once more at the
rock before him. The rock wall shivered into fragments,
revealing: more rock. "Where on Earth did all this stupid rock
come from?" Ryoga wondered aloud, with more than a trace of
frustration in his voice. "And where the heck am I?"
   Ryoga was lost. Again. And, as usual, it couldn't have
happened at a worse time. Akane had been only a few foes away,
Ryoga was certain. Akane had needed him; there was just no way
that she would have been able to hold out without help of some
kind. So Ryoga fought, blindly smashing a path towards Akane.
Which is when he had come across the rock wall. Ryoga wasn't
positive, but he thought he remembered Akane fighting by a number
of large boulders. So, there was a chance that punching through
the barrier would lead him right to her. That had been hours ago.
   "Bakusai-Ten-Ketsu!" he cried again. Another layer of rock bit
the dust. And this time, there was an opening.
   Ryoga found himself in a tremendous chasm. Directly in front
of him was a huge wall of some sort of fleshy organic substance.
The wall was glowing in places, which provided Ryoga with the wan
light that allowed him to see anything at all. There were spikes
protruding from the wall at regular intervals. Near the ground,
where Ryoga was standing, the spikes were rather small, only a
few meters in length. Far above, where the fleshy wall began to
curve out of sight, the spikes were much, much larger. Directly
ahead of him, Ryoga could see an odd sort of dome, divided into
three sections. As he watched, the dome extended toward him, much
like the head of a turtle emerging from its shell, stopping a
mere foot away. The three sections split open, revealing a
single, alien eye.
   Ryoga was standing practically nose to nose with Lavos itself.
   Inside the shell-housing, Lavos viewed the life-form that had
invaded its chamber. It was not one of the seven confirmed Lavos-
destroyers, but it was one of their chosen companions. Lavos
elected not to take any chances. It began to send the mental
commands to arrange a full-power disintegration beam.
   Lavos screamed. Crono and the others had tried to describe the
soul-rending sound for Ryoga's benefit, but their descriptions
did not do justice to the chilling cacophony the bandannaed
martial artist was hearing. When the sound died away, Ryoga noted
that the eye had begun to glow, and was emitting a weak beam of
light. A beam of light that was growing stronger by the second.
   Ryoga Hibiki suddenly realized that he was about to die.

Afterword:
   Ooh, the suspense! Betcha can't wait for Chapter 22!
   Chrono Trigger buffs may notice that Crono's mother doesn't
act much like the one from the game, who is rather Kasumi-like in
nature. Crono's mother spends nearly the entire game at home,
taking Crono's adventures and his bizarre companions in stride.
Well, Crono's mother in this story, to quote Ryoga Hibiki, "has
seen Hell!" She's been witness to some nasty stuff through the
eyes of Dalton, and has lost something of her innocence as a
result. She's still a kind, gentle person, but now has more
experience--experience of a rather unpleasant nature. She's
hoping to atone for the atrocities of Dalton by helping her son
and his friends to defeat Lavos, the source of Dalton's evil
power.

Chrono Trigger Tip #21:
   Hey, that 'Omega Flare' thing was cool! Where can I find these
Rocks, or whatever they are?
   There are exactly five Rocks in the game: Blue, Black, Silver,
Gold, and White. Some are easy to find (like the White), and some
are bloody difficult (like the Gold).
   White: This is the easiest rock to find. Basically, it's in a
treasure chest in plain sight on the Black Omen. Just fight your
way through the Black Omen, opening each chest that you find, and
the White Rock will be yours. The White Rock enables the 'Poyozo
Dance' tech for Ayla, Lucca, and Marle. This tech will deal
moderate Shadow damage to all enemies, and causes Chaos (enemies
affected by Chaos will attack anyone--themselves, you, or other
enemies--with reduced damage).
   Blue: Probably the second easiest to find, the Blue Rock is
located in a half-hidden treasure chest in the ruins of the
Reptite's castle in 600 A.D. Watch carefully as you explore the
fortress--the chest is partially obscured by a section of rock.
The Blue Rock enables 'Omega Flare' for Lucca, Magus, and Robo
(as you've read in the chapter), a tech that deals heavy Shadow
damage to all enemies.
   Silver: Late in the game, return to the ruins of the Laruba
village (north of the Ioka village). There will be a Nu at the
north end of the village. Talk to him, and he'll give you the
Silver Rock. (He'll also give you a chance to change the name of
whatever character is in the lead, assuming that you've tired of
that name, or for some other reason want to change it.) The
Silver Rock enables 'Spin Strike' for Robo, Ayla, and Frog, a
Triple Tech that deals massive Physical damage to a single
target.
   Black: A bit tricky to find. The Black Rock is located in
Balthasar's secret room in the city of Kajar on one of the
floating continents of the Enlightened Ones in 12,000 B.C. These
rooms can be revealed by opening the Water, Fire, and Wind books
in the proper order (namely, Water, Wind, and then Fire, as one
of the Enlightened Ones will tell you by way of a poem). The
Black Rock is not in a chest. It's just lying there, sparkling on
the floor like a Tab. Anyway, the Black Rock enables 'Dark
Eternal' for Magus, Marle, and Lucca, which deals massive Shadow
damage to all enemies.
   Gold: This Rock is virtually impossible to find unless you've
been told how to do it in advance. First off, you need to set
Cyrus's ghost to rest. When you do so, he strengthens Frog's
Masamune, changing it to the Masamune+ (incidently, the sword
Frog uses throughout Halftime IS in fact, the Masamune+, but
everyone just calls it the Masamune for brevity). Equip Frog with
the Masamune+, and set him at the front of your party. Now,
return to the Dendaro Mountains in 600 A.D. (where you first
fought Masa and Mune for half of the shattered Masamune), and
fight your way through it until you find that annoying Free-
Lancer that keeps throwing rocks at you. Let him pelt Frog for a
few moments, and eventually, Frog will catch one. That will be
the Gold Rock. This Rock, unlike the others, can only be equipped
by Frog, even though Marle and Robo are also required for the
Triple Tech. They just can't hold the Rock. The Triple Tech is
called 'Grand Dream', and it summons the spirit(s) of the
Masamune to deal massive Physical damage to all enemies. I think
that its damage peaks when your characters are low on hit points
(like Frog's 'Frog Squash' and Ayla's 'Dino Tail'), but I don't
know whether all of your characters have to be low, or just Frog.
