A Better Life Chapter 1: Genma despaired. His son of sixteen years had nothing else to learn from him. He had taught him the Yamasenken and the Umisenken in hopes of prolonging their training trip and giving him more time to assure himself of Ranma's readiness. Now his only option was to take a trip to China where he could find more to teach his son. **** They arrived several days later on the coast of China, both soaked to the bone and thoroughly exhausted. "Hey Pop, where to now?" asked Ranma as they sat at their camp fire later that night. He had recovered his energy much faster than his father who was laying on his bedroll emitting the occassional groan as his muscles protested being abused in such a horrible manner as swimming all the way to China from Japan. "I'm not sure, son." Genma thumbed through the Anything-Goes training manual and stopped briefly at the section on the Neko-ken. He sure was glad that gust of wind had flipped the next page to the part about driving the trainee insane before he had thrown Ranma into the pit. Ranma grumbled at his father's apparent lack of a brain and went off to practice. He found the perfect place at the top of a small hill a few hundred meters away. For months now, ever since he had been taught his father's forbidden techniques, Ranma had diligently worked to create his own versions of them, ones that better suited his style and were less dangerous to an opponent. Tonight he decided to attempt a variation of the Kijin Raishu Dan, one made of chi instead one that used chi to simply form the blade. Like every other time he tried, Ranma found the task easier to accomplish than the time before. "Moko Raishu Dan!" called Ranma. He swung his arm in a horizontal slash at such high speed that it momentarily disappeared. Then a blue flash lit the night sky as a two foot curved blade of chi erupted from in front in front of Ranma and traveled at almost supersonic speeds until it impacted the trunk of a large tree, exploding it into a shower of broken splinters."Yatta!" he cheered his success. Never before had he been able to remove the cutting edge from the technique, which meant that if he were to ever use it on a person they would at the very least be severelt injured. Now he had something that would blow them up instead, that is until he learned to control just how much force the technique had. "Ranma! Are you all right?!" Genma came running up the hill and was nonplussed to find Ranma fully intact and to see him standing beside what once must have been a tree of some kind."What happened?" "I did it! I finally fixed the Kijin Raishu Dan where it won't kill people all the time." Ranma pounded his father on the back and pointed to the shattered tree stump at his side. "Son...I believe that the original is a bit less deadly." He couldn't help but imagine what would happen to a person if they were hit by a chi strike with such explosive power. "Baka Oyaji, I don't plan on using it on anybody yet. I've still got to learn to control its strength." Ranma happily jogged back to camp. Genma breathed a sigh of relief at his son's news. **** Three weeks later Ranma and his father were preparing to make camp for the night when they saw a large amount of smoke coming from over a nearby hill. The sounds of gunfire soon reached their ears. Ranma immediately threw down his gear and ran to investigate followed suprisingly by Genma. Cresting the hill, a small temple came into view. The courtyard was full of armed men who were herding women and children from the temple and into the night. Far to the left, near a small stream, a wagon of hay burned intensely. "Get out here!" oredered one of the men. He brandished his gun and looked as if he were about to shoot someone. His orders were quickly obeyed by the frightened people. "Is that all of them?" questioned another. "Take two men and go through it one more time," answered the first man. Back on the hill top Ranma said,"We've got to do something." Genma nodded in agreement. No matter how cowardly he was he wouldn't allow harm to come to so many defenseless women and children if he could stop it."Right son, let's go!" They began to run down the hill at full speed. "Umisenken?" asked Ranma. "That would be best," replied his father. Both invoked the way of the quiet thief, becoming invisble to all. They made their way through the men like wraiths, swift and deadly. Ranma, using pressure points rendered those he attacked unconscious while his father simply and efficiently snapped the neck of every armed man he encountered. It was all over in less than five seconds and not a single one of the men had made a sound in suprise. Ranma was first to drop the Umisenken prompting his father to also. The women who had been huddled into a large group stared at them with fear and awe, but the children watched in wonder. "You didn't have to kill them, Pop." Ranma had never killed a man before and didn't intend to unless there was absolutely no other option. "Ranma...son," said Genma sagely,"you must learn to show no mercy with those who would attempt to take your life or the life of others." He didn't argue with his son though, killing took a piece of you every time you were forced to do it and the last thing he needed was for Ranma to become cold blooded. He would later take care of those that Ranma had only incapacitated. Only seconds had passed and no one besides Ranma and his father had spoken until,"What's going on here?!" Three more men came running from the temple with their weapons raised and ready to fire. They didn't see the martial artists responsible for the downing of their fellows and assuming that the women had done it, opened fire on them. "No!!" screamed Ranma as five women and three children fell under the first burst of gunfire. He leapt into the air, an angry blue aura surrounding him, and in one fluid motion, swept his arm in front of him."Moko Raishu Dan!" The wave of energy released was huge in comparison to the first one he had ever created and when it hit the three men it was as they were not even there. The gigantic chi blade continued downward, leaving three pairs of smoking legs and matching lumps of molten steel where once hed been men. When it hit the ground not even a half second after being launched, an explosion that shook the earth in all directions for a hundred feet occured. In its wake was a swimming pool sized crater that came into view once the dust had cleared. Genma watched this in as much shock as everyone else. Never before had he seen a match in sheer destruction generated by a person's chi force. In an easy jump he joined his son to congratulat him."Ranma, that was incredible! I'm so proud of you!" Ranma didn't look happy though. Instead he looked slightly green. A moment later he ran to a small cluster of bushes and for several minutes was violently sick. When he returned, Genma squeezed his shoulder in a reassuring gesture that did little to help. One of the women, a young girl really with long chestnut brown hair, came running up to them and said,"We're so grateful! Thank you so very much!" She bowed to them until she was kneeling on the ground."The spirits listened to our prayers and sent two of their own to save us." Ranma was still nauseous so Genma said,"No ma'am we aren't spirits, just martial artists." It was a small comfort to meet someone besides his son that could speak Japanese in China. The girl ignored hima and continued to kneel before them. A voice, like sandpaper and gravel said,"Martial artists indeed. You're prowess is most impressive." Both Ranma and Genma turned to view the owner of the painful to hear voice and were not disappointed when they saw a shrunken old man leaning heavily on a cane. **** The injured had been tended to and the dead buried. The women and children huddled together in silence, still shocked from the days events. In a large room in the back of the temple the old man now known as Li, the Saotome's, and the girl who had first thought them to be spirits sat. "I am grateful beyond words," rasped the old man. He levered himself out of the chair he had been sitting in and hobbled over to a book shelf that took up the entire back wall of the room. "Please grandfather, you must rest. Your heart-," said the girl, worried for her only living relative. "Oh come on girl, what's the point of living if I can't moved around a little," whined her grandfather. "I understand," she lied. "Now you two, come her." Li gestured towards Ranma and Genma with his cane. Once they were in their designated places he continued,"I have nothing to give you, I'm sorry, besides an opportunity to gain an important scroll that I have been guarding for over a century." Eagerly, Genma asked,"Is it of martial arts techniques?" Li shook his head."I do not know what knowledge the scroll contains within it. I have been entrusted to give every man or woman I deem worthy a chance to attain it though." Ranma, now recovered asked,"Why haven't you read it? I mean just to see what is on it." Li chuckled dryly and answered,"After the first twenty years or so I tried to force it open and in return recieved this voice which I'm sure you've noticed sounds hideous And the thing wouldn't open for me. It'll only respond to the right person." Genma told Ranma that he wanted to talk to Li alone for a minute. Ranma went back to the table where Li's grand daughter was sitting."Hi, my name's Ranma if you haven't heard yet." "I'm Ukyou. It's nice to meet you." "If you don't mind me asking," he sat down across from her,"where are all the men at and why are you all staying here?" "All the women here are widows can't support themselves and their children. Grandfather and I try to help them." "Oh." Before he could say anything more his father returned. "Come on Ranma and let's see if that scroll works for you." Genma had made sure that it wouldn't hurt his son before he let him try. He had also tried to open the scroll but failed. "Well, here goes nothing." He went back to the shelf where Li still stood. In the man's left hand was a plain looking scroll. He wordlessly accepted it when Li held it out to him. With a deft movement he untied the ties that held it closed. Li's mouth fell open and his cane clattered to the floor."Finally," he whispered. "What's wrong?" asked Ranma before he attempted to unfurl the scroll. "You've done it Ranma!" exclaimed his father."No one has ever been able to do that." Ukyou rushed over to them and was shocked to see the scroll opened. "Unroll it and see what it says," said Li, giddy with excitement. He would finally be able to see what was so damned important about the thing. None were as suprised as Ranma. He had not expected anything to happen at all. Slowly he began to unroll the scroll. The first words burnt themselves into his mind. YOU ARE NOW THE ONLY BEING WHO CAN SEE THE WORDS WRITTEN UPON THIS SCROLL WITHOUT SUFFERING IMMEDIATE DEATH. Ranma quickly pulled it to his chest before the others could see it. "Well? Are you going to let us see?" Genma asked impatiently. If need be, he could always guilt trip him into sharing. "I can't. It says if anyone else reads it that they will die." He looked them each in the eye and said,"I promise, that's the very first thing it says." Li sighed in disappointment. He should have guessed that something like that would happen. Genma could tell by the look in Ranma's eyes that he was deadly serious and chose to heed his warning. Ukyou didn't care enough about what was on an old piece of paper to risk her life so she went back to the table she had been sitting at. **** It was late in the night before Ranma got the nerve to read more of the scroll. Alone on the front steps of the temple, with only the moonlight and a small oil lamp he read: LONG AGO, UPON ANOTHER WORLD A GREAT WAR WAS FOUGHT BETWEEN MEN OF IMMENSE POWER. THEY WERE WIZARDS CAPABLE OF FEATS BOTH TERRIBLE AND MIRACULOUS. FOR A CENTURY THEY FOUGHT. BATTLES BETWEEN WIZARDS REDUCED MOUNTAINS TO RUBBLE AND THE CREATURES THEY CREATED DID BATTLE ON EVERY FRONT, BE IT BENEATH THE SEA, OR HIGH ABOVE THE EARTH AMONG THE CLOUDS. FINALLY A STALEMATE WAS REACHED WHEN NEITHER SIDE COULD TRIUMPH OVER THE OTHER. WHEN THIS HAPPENED A GREAT BARRIER OF MAGIC WAS ERECTED BETWEEN THEIR LANDS MEANT TO FOREVER SEPARATE THEM. IF YOU ARE READING THIS SCROLL THEN THE BARRIER HAS BEEN BROUGHT DOWN AND A LONG HELD PROPHECY FULFILLED. A MAN OF GREAT IMPORTANCE TO HIS WORLD IS NOW IN DANGER AND UNLESS YOU PROTECT HIM, HIS LIFE WILL BE FORFEIT AND THE FREEDOM OF HIS WORLD WILL PERISH WITH HIM. TO THIS END, YOU, RANMA SAOTOME, HAVE BEEN CHOSEN. Ranma nearly dropped the scroll in suprise, but continued to read after a moment. YES RANMA, THIS SCROLL IS MEANT FOR YOU. IT WILL TEACH YOU TO WIELD A GIFT YOU WERE BORN WITH. THE GIFT OF SORCERY. THE GIFT OF A SORCERER IS MUCH LIKE THAT OF A WIZARD EXCEPT THAT YOURS IS ONE SIDED AND CAN DO WHAT ONLY WIZARDS GIFTED WITH BOTH SIDES OF THE POWER ARE CAPABLE OF. IF YOU EVER DO BATTLE WITH A WIZARD YOU WILL FIND THAT NONE OF YOUR MAGIC WILL WORK ON HIM JUST AS HE WILL DISCOVER THE SAME ABOUT YOU. IN THIS CASE YOUR ABILITY TO MANIPULATE CHI AND PHYSICAL PROWESS WILL WIN THE FIGHT. Ranma rolled the scroll up and went in search of his bedroll. Somehow he knew that the scroll was telling him the truth and that he was somehow chosen to protect a man. What he didn't know was how he would ever be able to protect a man that was supposed to be on another world. Giving thinking up for the night, decided that sleep would be nice. **** The next day Ranma and Genma departed from the temple. They said their goodbyes and warned the people staying their that they should probably be moving on since the men who had attacked the day before were obviously after them for less than honorable reasons. Miles of silence later Genma asked,"It's important, isn't it?" Ranma knew what he was talking about and answered,"Yes, very important." "Can you tell me about it or is that forbidden too?" "It doesn't say not to, but I don't think I should. I will tell you that it is scary stuff though." Genma seemed mollified, going back to being quiet and contemplative like he seldom did. He decided that they would go back to Japan as soon as possible. Even with their skill, it was too easy to get hurt or killed if they encountered any more heavily armed bandits. It was mid-afternoon right before their usual sparring session when he announced his decision to Ranma. "What about the Amazons?" "Huh?" Genma didn't know what his son was talking about. "Oh yeah, you were asleep when Li told me about them. He said that in the Jusenkyo valley of the Quiang Hai province is a tribe of warrior women who know lots of powerful fighting techniques. I figured that we could swing on by, you know, and learn a thing or two." Perfect! Quiang Hai was a great distance. The trip there and back could take months. So what if it was a tribe of weak women, it was still a good enough excuse. **** For nearly two months they hiked across China. Genma sparred daily with his son, more to keep himself in shape that to help Ranma. Ranma spent most of his time developing his chi and reading the scroll. He no longer slept, strangely enough he didn't need to. Instead, he read all night, every night. The first thing that he learned from the scroll was an entirely new language. It was the main tongue of the world the scroll originated from. Suprisingly, he could speak the lansuage fluently in a month. Ranma assumed that it was some magic property of the scroll that helped him to learn it. Then came things straight from his imagination. Written in the newly learned language were instructions on how to develop his gift and spells that he could cast with it. Whenever his father would go to sleep at night, he would cast a web, a kind of spell, on him that would make him sleep through any explosions or sounds that practicing his sorcery may cause. On the final leg of their journey to learn from the Amazons, Genma became excited about something, threw his pack off and began rummaging through it. Ranma watched his father with an amused scowl until the older man finally found what he was looking for. In his hand was a pamplet written in Chinese with a few lines of Japanese thrown in. "We are near the Sacred training ground of Jusenkyou! I just remembered!" He shoved the pamplet in Ranma's face and began pulling him towards the area indicated on the map. Genma may have been oblivious to the big red characters in Japanese that said going to Jusenkyou was stupid and extremely dangerous, but Ranma didn't."Hey Pop! You might want to take a look at these." He pointed out the numerous warnings on the pamplet. "Don't be silly, son. Those are just to keep amatuers away. Real martial artists have nothing to fear." Never let it be said that Genma is smart, even an improved version. Ranma sighed and followed his father. Someone had to keep the old man out of trouble. There rapid pace had them at Jusenkyou by noon. The place looked harmless enough. Just a lot of pools of water with bamboo poles stuck in them. Probably for balance practice. Ranma took one look at the place and began weaving the strongest web that he could manage to repel water from him. "Come on, son," enthused Genma. Ranma didn't know what to make of this place. In the last two months they had encountered a few mystical sights and artifacts. Ranma could tell how powerful and dangerous most of them were, but this place seemed more hostile than the surface of the sun."Fat chance. This place is seriously bad news. There is something wrong with the water." "Feh," snorted the man,"You aren't scared of a bit of water are you?" He walked to the edge of a pool and knelt at its side."Don't tell me you're going to start crying like a girl now too." Genma made a show of dipping his hand in the water despite Ranma's protests. Ranma couldn't help himself. He had to laugh. It was just too damned funny. His father was now effectively his mother. The man was just sitting there staring at his chest which now sported a nice pair of breasts. An ugly, fat Chinese man came running out of a hut, windmilling his arms."Oh no sir. You fall in Nyannichuan, Spring of Drowned Girl, very tragic tale of girl who drown in spring 1,500 years ago." Ranma burst out laughing again."Who's manly now, Pop, or should I say mom?" Still in shock, Genma slowly pulled the now very baggy gi open and examined himself more closely. After a moment his nose started to bleed and then he passed out. **** Genma awoke on a small cot in the guide's hut. He recalled having the most horrible nightmare and just encase it was true he patted himself down and found that he was totally male."What happened?" he asked. "You didn't listen to me when I told you that the water was dangerous. Now you've got a curse." Ranma's sides and jaw still ached from laughing so hard. It wasn't a dream!"B-b-but, br-breasts." Genma pointed out that he didn't have any. This was quickly corrected when Ranma poured a cup of cold water over his father's head."Oh MY God!" he screeched in shock. Genma was now a cute and busty teenaged girl with a mane of green hair. Darkly Ranma said,"You better be glad that I didn't fall in one of those springs or I would be beating you to death right now." "I'm a girl," mumbled Genma morosely. "No worry sir. Curse of Jusenkyou reversed with hot water." The guide poured a kettle of steaming water over the girl's head. Genma ignored the pain from the over heated water and began feeling for any stray breasts. When he found none he wept in relief and started blubbering about manliness. Ranma chose to ignore his father and asked the guide,"Do you know where a village of Amazons is? I know it's around here somewhere." "You must mean Joketsuzoku. Village of very strong warrior women?" Ranma nodded."I lead sirs there whenever sir's father is able travel." "Thanks. I'm going to go get some air." **** Outside, Ranma carefully observed the springs from a distance. He hadn't seen it at first, but now with his father linked to one of the springs it was obvious what was going on. The water from each spring was some kind of magical construct that bound its victim in a web of additive and subtractive magic, the magic wielded by wizards. That explained how the change in size and weight could occur. The subtractive magic took away what wasn't needed in the cursed form and the additive returned what was needed in the original form. Too bad that he was a sorcerer and not a wizard, his gift would be totally ineffective against the magic of Jusenkyou.He may not be able to cure an already cursed individual but he could keep others from being cursed. For over an hour he thought of different ways to do this, until finally he came to a conclusion: destroy the place. **** Ranma turned to look back at the springs one last time. The web he had created would steadily raise the heat of the springs and the ground surrounding them until it became molten rock. A shield of sorcerous magic would cancel out the non-bound magic of the steam created, rendering the water useless and forever destroying the Springs of Woe. He hurried his pace to catch up with his father and the guide. **** They had just finished eating a meal of rice and beans when the village came into view. It had walls made of large tree trunks buried in the ground and lashed together. It was the first village Ranma had ever seen with walls. It seemed unusual that a people that went through the trouble to create such a wall would leave it undefended. When Ranma asked the guide why there were no guards, the guide said,"Today very important Tournament take place. Decide village champion for year." "Hear that Pop? We can be in the tournament." Ranma's father, currently in his cursed form because of a strong gust of wind and a puddle of water started to say something when the guide interrupted. "No no sirs, must not fight Amazons. Very strict laws for outsiders who defeat them. If you man you must marry Amazon you defeat and if you woman Amazon must kill you." Ranma and Genma blanched and both decided to not pick a fights with any Amazons. "That has got to be the stupidest thing that I've ever heard!" exclaimed Ranma. "I agree with sir, but nothing I can do. They very powerful fighters, peoples scared to speak against them." "We understand." Father and son exchanged another glance that told them they really didn't. No one met them when they walked into the village. Village was really the wrong word for it. City was more accurate, decided Ranma. They followed the sounds of a cheering crowd which led them to the center of the city. Several hundred women were gathered around a central ring. In the ring, two of the warrior women fought on a rope suspended log. One was a lithe and graceful girl with purple hair and wielding a pair of strange maces, the other, a hulking brute of muscle barely identifiable as female who used a four inch thick tree trunk like it was a bo. Ranma winced in sympathy for the mountainous woman as the other's mace made contact with her skull, rendering her unconscious and knocking her to the ground. Xian Pu! Xian Pu! Xian Pu! Chanted the crowd. Xian Pu held her maces high above her head in triumph. She was joined on the log by a severly shrunken woman who balanced herself on a gnarled staff. Ranma could sense the chi force the old woman possessed and decided that he would have to arrange a fight with her, one that wouldn't get him married to her if he won. The women raised a withered arm into the air causing the audience to fall silent. "Today, my heir and great granddaughter, Xian Pu has become our Champion." Her proclamation was met with a roar of cheers and applause. It took several minutes for the noise to die down, time which the girl, Xian Pu, used to catch her breathe. Ranma was about to go congratulate her on her victory when angry jabbering broke out around him. He looked around and saw many women pointing at him and then he turned to see his father, still female, inhaling a huge feast that had been laid out on a long table, the women were pointing at her too. demanded the Xian Pu as she stormed up to him. She hadn't yet seen Genma eating her prize "I don't speak Chinese," Ranma told the guide. He translated for Ranma. The guide translated. Everyone's attention turned to Ranma and dead silence spread throughout the crowd."I came to learn Amazon fighting techniques." If anything the crowd got quieter. growled Xian Pu. "Hey stop that!" demanded Genma-chan as three Amazons led him to Ranma at spear-point. said one of the Amazons. Xian Pu gripped the handles of her maces so tightly that her knuckles were white. She began to generate a hazy purple battle aura that caused many of her fellow Amazons to take a step back. Once the guide translated."Great going Pop! Now we've got a bunch of crazy chicks pissed off at us!" Ranma berated his father. "I was hungry," she replied weakly. "We just ate! Now I've got to get us out of here." He turned to ask the guide to translate a message for him, but the guide was already halfway out of the village and still going thanks to Xian Pu's display. "Screw this, it's just been a wasted trip." Ranma grabbed Genma-chan by the baggy sleeve of her gi and began to pull her towards the gate. "You go nowhere!" Demanded Xian Pu. She blocked Ranma's path and held up her maces, ready to strike. "Ah, geeze. Pop, I'm gonna make you regret this." Around Ranma a huge blue battle aura with streams of gold running through it appeared. It continued to grow until Xian Pu's own was no longer visible because of the brightness of Ranma's. Genma-chan's mouth fell open in awe of his son's chi. Xian Pu took several steps back and only stopped when she ran into her fellow Amazons, who themselves had retreated. "Incredible, quite incredible!" cackled the same old woman who had announced Xian Pu's championship. Ignoring her, Ranma pulled Genma-chan through the corridor that opened before him. A small chi blast detonating in his path stopped him. He turned to face the source of the blast, but wasn't suprised to find that it was the same old woman with the huge chi. "Not so fast child," she hopped over to him."I believe that you came here to our village to learn, have you learned anything?" "Just that I shouldn't have wasted my time coming here." She cackled and said,"I like you." "That's nice to know." "Won't you stay for a short time? It could be a learning experience." "Does that mean what I think it means?" Ranma looked hopeful but cautious. "It is." **** Xian Pu fumed to herself. That outsider boy and his female father had stolen all her attention and what was worse, the boy had humiliated her and gained her Great grandmother's favor. The crowing of a rooster told her that dawn had arrived and that she hadn't slept. She stepped back from what had once been a two foot tree trunk imbedded in the ground that Mousse normally used for target practice. A splintered wreck was all that remained in the aftermath of hours of bonbori strikes. **** Early the next morning Ku Lon stopped at the edge of the village square to watch her guests in a furious fight. It was quite impressive, she had to admit. Ranma and his father, now male, seemed to fly through the air trading blows that to any but a few of her most skilled warriors would have appeared as nothing more than blurs. "Don't give me any of that crap, Pop! You know that I've been better than you for years!" Ranma faded from view only to reappear on front of his father in a blink. A single kick to the gut sent Genma into a post of one of the communal buildings. She distinctively heard the crack associated with breaking of the sound barrier. If he could move his whole body that fast...Ku Lon ruled out amaguriken training. Genma picked himself up and while holding his abdomen with one hand he waved the other in submission."You had better be glad that I took it easy on you." Making herself known, Ku Lon asked,"Are you ready to begin your training?" "You bet. It's been a while since I learned any new martial arts." "I think I'll take a nap." Genma somehow developed a limp, but headed towards the area where he and Ranma had been allowed to set up there tents. She hadn't planned on teaching him anyway."Ranma, this area will soon be filled with people. Come, I will show you to where you will be training." Ku Lon led Ranma to a small hut at the edge of the village, several hundred feet from the perimeter wall. Inside was a hole in the ground that Ku Lon jumped through. Ranma followed. The distance to solid ground was nearly twenty feet but the fall didn't bother him. He was suprised to find himself in a large glowing cavern that had to undercut at least a third of the village."What is this place?" he asked in wonder. "No one knows for sure. It was discovered when the village was founded and has been used ever since as a vault and a place to train in secret amazon fighting techniques." He whistled when he saw a heavily warded door on the other side of the cavern. It radiated magic. Ku Lon noticed Ranma's reaction but didn't let him know. **** If she ever got her hands on Happosai, Ku Lon didn't know what she would do to him. No, she did know, it involced a lot of men's underwear and a cement casket. Not only had he stolen many sacred and magical Amazon artifacts, he had also taken instructions on teaching some of their most powerful techniques. Thankfully only Ranma and his father seemed to have knowledge of them and Ranma had admitted that only he could actually perform any of them. "Um...are there anymore besides those?" How was he supposed to know that the bakusai tenketsu, amaguriken, and hiryu shoten ha were Amazon techniques. He just thought that his father had come across a really valuable scroll that was knocked into a fire by accident. "Yes, though only a few that wouldn't take years of intense study to master and I believe that you are on a schedule." "Why are you teaching me? I meen, you don't have any reasons that I can figure out and my Pop did screw up your feast." She smiled cunningly and said,"I saw your chi, I know what you are. Ranma, you will need everything you know to survive whatever course your life takes." "Oh, okay." "Now let me tell you about splitting hairs..." **** Four days later Ranma was attempting one of the techniques Ku Lon had taught him. He was impatient and sloppy, only being able to produce six chi copies of himself this time. He knew that he should be able to triple that. Ku Lon sat on the sidelines with the other elders who had taken a liking to watching Ranma practice. exclaimed one of the elders. asked another elder who was thinking of how to set her heir up with Ranma.