When Ryouga next surveyed his surroundings, he realized, to no surprise, that he was no longer in Nerima. He recognized this new location as Kyoto. He had never understood how he could do what he did. Sure, other people could get lost, some of them even as often as Ryouga himself, but how many of them could traverse hundreds of miles in a matter of seconds without realizing it? He had long since given up on trying to find a cure. He now accepted it as his fate, although not very happily. He was just cursed with a horrible sense of direction. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Ultimate Curse: Episode 5 Based on characters created by Rumiko Takahashi Written by JT Thibault Send rants and raves to aoi.ikazuchi@juno.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The curse brought with it many problems, the least of which was the constant tendency to get oneself lost. No, that was the least of his problems, Ryouga had discovered. Probably the greatest problem Ryouga faced was the depression: the intense depression which invariably materialized after he had been seperated from his friends and family for an extended period of time. Another problem was the fact that his inablility to arrive for school on a regular basis had cost Ryouga his eduaction. He shivered as he remembered the laughs of his classmates when he had announced, after missing school for thirteen consecutive days, that he had been in Canada. His curse had destroyed his life. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt even the slightest hint of happiness... Ryouga often tried to look at the curse from a different viewpoint, hoping to convince himself that the curse wasn't all bad. He tried to convince himself that he was, in actuality, blessed with a gift other people would kill for, that being the chance to visit as many foreign locations as Ryouga had been able to visit. He also had learned bits and pieces of many foreign languages, which he had used back in school to impress his friends. At least, it had impressed them until the novelty wore off, then he was alone again. And he told himself the souvenirs he picked up would make excellent gifts for friends. But these thoughts did little to comfort him. There was no acceptable substitute for human interaction. While most kids his age had been forming bonds of friendship to last a lifetime, Ryouga had been walking through the Sahara desert or walking along the beaches of Hawaii. As he stood now, he had social skills equivalent to those of an eight year old. He had trouble controlling his feelings. He had no courage around women, due to his attending an all-male school, and he tended to over-react to every little problem in a violent manner. Fortunately he had never seriously hurt anyone in his fury, but many a wall had fallen victim to his violent fits of rage. He had almost no control over his emotions, and it scared him... How he wished to be rid of his curse once and for all! Not only did he suffer socially from the curse, but the curse was also the cause of a serious physical problem too. A problem that went by the name of P-chan. He once again cursed his horrible sense of direction. Had he been able to make it to the fight on time, he never would have needed to follow Ranma to China...He felt his anger building up to the boiling point, so he looked for something to break. He noticed he wasn't in Kyoto anymore. He looked at the sign beside him and tried to figure out what language it was written in. He immediately recognized the language as english. That accomplished, he proceeded to read the sign, slowly mouthing the words out as he read them. "Denver. Next right." he read aloud, turning back to the road. He knew what the sign meant. He didn't need his dictionary for this one. He walked along the busy highway and turned right along the off-ramp. As he walked, his mind drifted back to Akane. This was where his mind always inevitably strayed now. He wished he could tell Akane how he felt about her, but whenever he managed to muster the courage to approach her, her smile would disarm him, and he would be left grasping for the words which had once flowed so naturally to him. He feared failure, and he feared rejection. "Damn this curse!" he exclaimed, upset not only with the curse, but with himself too. He was upset that he lacked the courage to confess to Akane his genuine feelings toward her. He lowered his head in despair and noticed he wasn't walking along the highway anymore. No, the road he now followed was made of dirt. He raised his head and surveyed the surroundings. The massive buildings of Denver had disappeared. He saw a sign in the distance and ran until it was readible. "Richmond. 2 miles." he mouthed, realizing he had just 'jumped' again. He let his mind stray from Akane as he concentrated on his journey, following the dirt road to wherever it led. When he arrived at the town, he gazed in amazement at the lack of civilization. There were no skyscrapers or factories here, instead replaced with farms and spacious fields. The buildings in this town weren't packed packed together to provide maximum population to minimum space. Rather, the buildings all seemed to be single family houses, located far enough apart to allow any family the privacy they desired. Ryouga couldn't help but smile as he stopped to look around at this small rural village. This was the type of place he wanted to live in when he found a wife and was ready to settle down. A wife... his mind wandered once again to Akane. "Oh Akane! Someday I will be strong enough to tell you I--huh?" Ryouga stopped talking as he noticed a faint red glimmer before him. But when he leaned forward and tried to inspect it, it was gone. He dismissed the occurance with a shrug and grabbed a passing boy. "Where is the nearest bank?" Ryouga demanded of the boy. "R-right over there" the kid managed to spit out, pointing across the street to a small brick building. "Thank you" Ryouga walked into the bank and approached the counter, flashing the teller a smile. Her face turned deep red when she saw Ryouga's fangs. Ryouga noticed this and wasn't surprised; He knew the effect his fangs had on women... "How may I help you sir?" The teller inquired, the fluch finally starting to disappear. "I'd like to exchange some yen for US dollars, please" he said, flashing the teller another smile. The redness returned. Ryouga left the bank with 250 US dollars. He didn't plan on spending that much, but he realized it could be necessary on subsequent trips. This was more than enough to get him by until he could find a way back to Japan. He walked back across the street and entered the convenience store, stopping by the door to look at the rack of postcards positioned by the door. Ryouga decided the postcards would make nice souvenirs for his friends back at the dojo, so he picked up 36 of them and brought them to the front counter. "Will this be all, sir?" the clerk inquired. "Yes, thank you." Ryouga replied. Ryouga paid for the postcards and put them into his backpack, thanking the clerk again. He left the store and took a seat on the bench outside. He thought of Akane engaged to Ranma and his hands involuntarily clenched into fists. He didn't deserve a sweet girl like Akane. He would beat Ranma one of these days. He would show Akane that he was the man destined to be by her side. He would-- "Huh?" he exclaimed, looking up to once again find the red glow before him. He tried to reach out and touch it, but it had already vanished. Things were beginning to get weird. Someone tapped his shoulder and Ryouga turned around to find himself staring into the emotionless eyes of a man dressed in full ninja garb. "Hibiki Ryouga?" the man asked. "Yeah, that's me. What do you want?" The man's eyes suddenly lit up. "So I've finally found you...You are indeed one dificult individual to track down." Ryouga was puzzled. This man looked as if dressed for battle, yet he didn't make a move. Maybe he was waiting to catch him off guard...Ryouga moved into his battle stance. "Now that's no way to treat the man who gave you your gift..." "What gift?" "Why, your gift of travel, of course!" Ryouga's fists clenched again, and his eyes focused on the ninja standing before him. "My curse...is all your fault?" Ryouga asked, trying to mask the anger that threatened to invade his voice. "For that act, you will pay dearly!" Ryouga's fist shot forward with amazing speed, catching the man in the head...or at least it would have, had the man still been standing there. Ryouga looked angrily for the man, but to no avail. He had disappeared. A voice arose from behind him. "Please do not be upset. You are the owner of a wonderful gift. I have come to teach you how to utilize it's many uses." Ryouga turned around to find the man kneeling before him, eyes directed toward the ground. The man stood and looked into Ryouga's eyes. "My name is Zantetsu. Please. Walk with me." Ryouga cautiously followed him down the road. Zantetsu turned right and Ryouga realized they were now in a park. The beauty of it captivated him. They both took a seat on the bench and Zantetsu turned to face Ryouga. "I will now explain to you just how valuable your gift is." he said. Ryouga's anger flashed again. How could this man constantly refer to the thing that single-handedly destroyed his life as a gift? "When you were very young, you were given the gift of displacement by use of a spell on an ancient scroll." "Displacement?" "Yes...How can I best explain it? May I borrow your headband?" Ryouga pulled the headband from his head and handed it to Zantetsu, who was suprised to see another in its place. "Thank you. Here is how your gift works. Imagine this bench is at one end of the headband, and that house over there is at the opposite end. If you wanted to travel from one point to the other, say from the bench to the house, you would need to walk from this end of the headband to the other end, crossing all ground in between. But...Imagine what would happen if you could just distort things a little bit, eliminating the middle ground. This would make for a shorter walk, would it not?" Zantetsu brought his hands closer together, each one gripping one end of the headband. A large loop of material began to hang down from the middle of the headband. Soon, the two ends of the headband were touching. "This is what you are able to do. You can bring the two points closer together, then step across the middle. This is your gift!" Ryouga's eyes lit up with realization, then he snapped back to reality. "But what good is this if I can't control it?!" "You _can_ control it. You just haven't yet been trained. The most important aspect of this ability is focus. You must be able to focus your thoughts. If you let your mind wander, your body will soon follow." How very true, Ryouga thought. 'So you plan to help me bring my gift under control?" he asked anxiously. "Yes. This gift is more useful than you realize. Observe." Zantetsu turned around and disappeared, appearing 20 feet ahead of Ryouga. Ryouga gasped in amazement. If he could learn to do that...Then, he turned and looked intently at Ryouga. The stare was very uncomforting, almost as if he was looking through Ryouga at something behind him. Zantetsu raised his hand and lunged forward with a punch. Ryouga was sent down to his knees as he was struck from behind. He stood up and stared at Zantetsu, who was already beside him. "Incredible..." Ryouga gasped. "Yes, it is. And you too will one day have the same abilities at your disposal." Ryouga smiled at his good fortune. Soon he would be free of his curse, and he would push himself far beyond the limits of Ranma's pathetic martial arts display. "Are you prepared to begin?" "Yes, Sensei. I am prepared." "Then follow me closely." Ryouga walked behind Zantetsu, noticing for a brief moment a faint glimmer, not totally unlike that which he had noticed earlier in the day, aside from the fact that it was blue. The light enveloped both of them and they appeared in a small village. "This is my village, located in the heart of the Bayankala mountains, nearly impossible to access without displacement due to the rugged terrain." "Fantasic" Ryouga said blankly, too absorbed in the beauty and tranquility of the village to fully understand what Zantetsu had said to him. It was not unlike the village he was just in. Then his thoughts came back to him. "Did you say Bayankala mountains? Near Jusenkyo?" "Yes. You know of Jusenkyo?" "I fell into the spring of drowned p-chan...i mean pig" "Very tragic...anyway, with the gift comes responsibilities. You will be expected to help around the village in exchange for the training. You will also receive martial arts training while you are here, as is required for any resident of the village. Besides, your skills could use a bit of improvement. From the information I have gathered on you I understand you are a very...physical...fighter, relying solely on brute strength to win your fights. Strength alone does not win fights. Strength is not important at all if you lack the speed to connect with your blows. Do you understand?" "Yes Sensei, I understand." "Good. Then let us begin. We will start with a sparring session, so that I may learn your strengths and weaknesses and help you to improve." With that said, Zantetsu and Ryouga began to fight. Two hours later, both of them were sitting on the ground, visibly out of breath. "Never in my years have I faced an opponent such as you. Your strength rivals that of every man I have fought, and your ability to shrug off blows...How did you develop such a high level of endurance?" "From being repeatedly slammed into rocks" Ryouga said, remembering his training sessions with Cologne. "You may be my best student yet." "Thank you Sensei." "Now we must work on your displacement skills. Look at that sign at the entrance to the village." Ryouga squinted to make out the distant sign, noticing it was blank. Why have a blank sign? "OK" "Now, close your eyes and breathe deeply, allowing your thoughts to disappear. Clear your mind. Just relax." "Ryouga closed his eyes and allowed the tranquility of the village to cleanse him. It was peaceful in the village, and he allowed the peace to remove his thoughts. "Good. Now focus on your destination. Focus on the sign. Imagine its details, its surroundings. Imagine an exact copy of what you saw when you looked at the sign." Ryouga tried to focus on it, but found he couldn't fill in the details because he was so far away. He concentrated harder, picturing the area around the sign. The patches of grass, the house in the background, the tree stump to the right of the sign. The picture began to increase in clarity. And increase. And-- "Now open your eyes and step into the glow! Embrace the field!" Ryouga's eyes shot open and he once again saw the glimmer. But this glimmer was different. Not only was it blue, as opposed to the red glimmer he had seen previously, but it was more than just a faint image. It was a full-blown glowing plane which extended to the heavens and intersected the ground before him. He took a step into the light and bumped into the sign. He looked in disbelief at Zantetsu, who merely smiled from his distant location. Ryouga smiled back and galnced back at the sign, incredibly pleased to find his first attempt at displacement had been successful. He ran over to Zantetsu and bowed deeply to him. "Thank you Sensei for sharing your knowledge with me. You have given me hope." "Be wary. Your studies are far from complete. You have much to improve on. Eventually you will be able to displace without closing your eyes and at a moments notice." He disappeared and touched Ryouga's shoulder from behind. Ryouga spun around and was touched on the shoulder again. This guy was good... "It was necessary to start this way because most people cannot properly concentrate when surrounded by visual stimuli. Let us try again, but do not step into the light this time. Instead, observe the light, and see your destination." "Yes Sensei" Ryouga replied happily as he shut his eyes and took a deep breath, once again allowing his mind to free itself of distracting thoughts. He saw the sign, more clearly now, and the image grew in clarity...He opened his eyes and saw the field. He looked at the field and saw the sign in the distance. "Do not look _through_ the field! Look _at_ the field!" Ryouga tried to draw his gaze back and bring his focus to the portal itself. It was extremely difficult because the portal was translucent and his eyes wanted to continue past the portal and focus on something more solid, but he persisted. Slowly, his eyes began to notice an image in the field. It was the sign, and it looked as if it was right in front of him. "Sensei. I see my destination." Ryouga stated. "Reach through the field and pull the sign from the ground." Zantetsu instructed. Ryouga reached through the portal with his right arm, expecting to feel something as his arm passed through. There was nothing. His hand tightened around the signpost and he easily removed it from the ground and pulled it back through the portal. He gasped at the realization of what he had just done. "I just grabbed a sign 200 feet away from me!" he exclaimed. "Yes. Indeed you did. You are learning very quickly, my student. You are picking this up quicker than most. You have very strong willpower and much determination. This is enough training for one day. I suggest you practice your displacement in order to improve." "Yes Sensei. I thank you for training me." "It is nothing. There is one more thing we should cover today...Possibly the most important part of your training. We must go over meditation." "Meditation? Why, Sensei?" "Having a clear mind is the foundation of the skills you will be learning. Any hint of inner conflict or loss of control will render your skills useless. Therefore, you need to build up your emotional control." "I understand." Zantetsu instructed Ryouga briefly in the various components of mediatation: The positions, the recommended environment, and most importantly, the breathing excercises. When they had finished, Zantetsu led Ryouga to a house. "This is my abode. Feel free to stay here as long as you desire." "Thank you Sensei, but I would not wish to inconvenience you. You have been far too generous to me already. I have a tent and a sleeping bag in my backpack. I will set up camp on the edge of town." "You are truly a respectful student, Hibiki Ryouga. I look forward to teaching you." "And I look forward to learning, Sensei." Ryouga said, a blush creeping onto his face. With those words spoken, Zantetsu disappeared into his cottage. Ryouga walked down a narrow dirt path, getting farther and farther from the entrance to the town. He noticed the houses getting further apart and decided he was at a suitable place to set up camp. He walked out into a field and set up his tent, laying his sleeping bag inside. He dug a fire pit and stepped back, admiring the skillful job. He had much practice setting up campsites. After all, he spent more time camping than he did in a normal house. He smiled to himself. "Now I just need to get rid of P-chan." Ryouga thought back to earlier that day. He had been lost and depressed, so sure that his life would never amount to anything, so sure he would never find happiness. But the gods had smiled upon him, and Zantetsu had found him, and now he--how exactly _did_ Zantetsu find him? Unless--Ryouga jumped at the thought that entered his head. Maybe displacement could orient not only on locations, but people too! This opened up many possibilities. He closed his eyes and allowed his mind to clear. Then, he thought of Akane. Her beautiful face. Her short blue hair. Her cute smile. Then he opened his eyes and looked into the blue light. Akane was in her bedroom. Akane was Naked. Ryouga reached up to his nose instinctively, but it was too late. His nose was already gushing a fountain of blood, and his body fell to the earth with a thud as he fainted. He spent the rest of the night sleeping on the ground. Ryouga awoke the next morning to find himself lying on the ground. He tried to remember what had happened the night before and was suddenly hit with the discovery he had made. He stood up slowly and rubbed his nose, breaking off flakes of dried blood. He needed a bath. He closed his eyes and focused on the sign. He opened his eyes and stepped into the glow, appearing beside the post. He approached Zantetsu's cottage and knocked on the door. The door opened to reveal an old man who appeared to be half asleep. "Impressive. Quite the dedicated student, Ryouga. Give me a few minutes to dress and I'll be ready." The door closed, leaving Ryouga standing outside. He continued to stare at the door, surprised. He hadn't realized his master was so old! Yet he still fought with the ferocity and determination most younger fighters lacked. This man was indeed unique. His mind wandered to Happosai and he erased his last thought. Make that almost unique, he told himself. Moments later, Zantetsu emerged from the house clad once again in his white ninja garb. Ryouga thought about asking for a bath, but cut himself short, realizing he would just need another one after the training session. They arrived in the center of a small clearing, where Zantetsu turned to face Ryouga. "Today we will work on improving your speed and agility." he said, pulling some objects from his clothing and handing them to Ryouga. "Put these on." Ryouga looked at the objects. They seemed to be circular weights that could be worn around an arm or a leg. He understood how these worked. When the body finally became adjusted to moving the extra weight, it would move much faster when the extra weight was removed. Ryouga attached the bracelets to his wrists and ankles. They were fairly heavy, but Ryouga wasn't a weak man. He took a few practice steps and found his movements to be incredibly hindered. He took a swing at the air in front of him, finding his punching speed was greatly diminished. Zantetsu looked on from Ryouga's left side. "Now we fight. No displacement allowed." He said, taking a swing at Ryouga. Ryouga tried to dodge the swing, but found the weights slowed him down too much. The punch caught him in the jaw. "Hit. Ten laps around the village. Go." "Ten laps? I can't run ten laps with these things on!" Ryouga protested. "Training will continue when you return. Go." Zantetsu vanished. Ryouga growled a bit, then started running. The extra weight slowed him down tremendously. He realized this was for his own good, so he continued to run. Eight hours later Ryouga dragged himself into the village, where he found Zantetsu waiting for him. "No more sparring today. You need to rest now. Go rest. First you should bathe. Public bath is located there." He gestured to a building down the street about 500 feet. "But do not ever remove the bracelets. They will make you stronger and faster if you wear them for everything you do." "Thank you Sensei." Ryouga walked into the public bath, glad to be done his laps. He walked to the male side and stripped off his clothing, having a little difficulty due to the bracelets. He pulled a pair of shorts from his backpack and put them on. He entered the bath and was overwhelmed by the warmth of the water. He relaxed, letting his mind find drift to Akane. Then he stopped. The red glow had started to form. He reconsidered. It couldn't hurt if he remained immobile, could it? He sank back in the bath, returning to his daydream... The bath had been invigorating, even with his movement restricted as it was. He walked to his campsite adn spontaneously decided to visit the dojo. He closed his eyes and began to picture the outside of the dojo. He paused. Did he really need to go there now? He had been told not to remove the weights, adn if Ranma saw them, he might do the same thing. He did not want Ranma to know he was training. He sat down in his tent and started to think. As long as he conmtinued to do only what was required, he wouldn't reach his full potential. He needed to train himself when he wasn't being trained by Zantetsu. He rose to his feet and proceeded to perform his various katas. When he finished, he ran ten more laps around the town. Zantetsu sat in his room, staring into a blue portal in front of him. He saw Ryouga practicing his martial arts, then running extra laps around the town. He was pleased. Never had he trained someone with such desire to excel. The glimmer faded out and Zantetsu went to sleep. The next three weeks went by quickly, every day spent performing the same tasks as the day before. Ryouga had finally, after many laps, grown accustomed to the weight of the bracelets, and he was now able to fight with the speed he had previously possessed without the bracelets. Zantetsu's solution? Add more weight. The bracelets got heavier and heavier for Ryouga, but each time he managed to overcome the weight and grow even stronger. Ryouga also spent much time performing tasks around the village, most of which involved the relocation of heavy objects, which suited him fine. He was also asked to occasionally help in the mines, after it had been discovered what his breaking point technique could do to rock. His displacement skill had vastly improved. Between his daily sessions with Zantetsu and his extra practice by himself, he had advanced his skill to an incredibly level. He was now able to use his displacement effectively in a fight. He could shift himself several steps in any direction, needing only a fraction of a second to concentrate, much less than the time it took for a blow to travel the distance to his body. He also could use his ability to assault people from unexpected directions. He recalled fondly one particular training session a week ago where he had dived directly at Zantetsu, only to disappear several feet in front of him and tackle him from behind. That had surprised, and greatly pleased, Zantetsu, which in turn had pleased Ryouga. He also discovered on his own that he could teleport to any location he could see on a road map, assuming he knew where he was on the map (in order to relate present position to destination). He had looked at a world map and jumped to antarctica, where he remained for a moment then jumped back. That place was depressing. Not a soul for hundreds of miles around... One day Zantetsu invited Ryouga into his house after they had finsihed practicing. Ryouga accepted the invitation and followed him in. He motioned for Ryouga to take a seat at the table, and he situated himself across from Ryouga. He looked into Ryouga's eyes with pride as he spoke. "When I began teaching you, I never imagined you would become this good. You now beat me 85 percent of the time we fight, and you've made significant progress with your displacement on your own time. You are a very self-driven man. I knew about the extra laps you ran at night and the long hours you put into your meditation and martial arts. I far there is little more I can teach you." Ryouga saw a tear glide down his cheek. "I am so proud of you Ryouga. You have made an old man proud. I have a request of you. Every year the best martial artists in the world attend a competition in Tokyo. The competition is invitation only, and this village receives one invitation to bestow upon the person most deserving to attend the competition. I feel that you have earned the right to fight in the tournament." "Why don't you fight in it Sensei? I'm sure you could easily beat anybody there!" "I have participated in the tournament on may occasions. I even won it on three occasions. Then, Happosai returned and reclaimed his trophy..." "Happosai?" Ryouga blurted out, surprised. "You've heard of him?" "I lived in the same house as him! He's such a--" "Lecherous old pervert?" Zantetsu finished. "Yeah." "Anyway, he had won the tournement every year since it started. Then, he mysteriously disappeared, for 3 years. In those 3 years, I claimed the trophy every year. Then, he returned. And no one has beaten him since. Besides, I don't think I could stand up to some of the younger contenders. I'm not as young as I used to be..." "But neither is Happosai! And look what he does!" Ryouga argued. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I just can't do it. Please accept this invitation. Do it me Ryouga." Ryouga saw the pleading in the man's eyes. He couldn't refuse the man's request. "I'll do it, Sensei. And I will make you proud. I will bring the village much honor." Zantetsu started to cry. He wasn't sad. On the contrary, he was the happiest he had ever been in his life. He wondered about Happosai...Would Ryouga be able to defeat the living legend of martial arts? He hoped so. He stood and walked around to Ryouga's seat and hugged Ryouga. "Thank you so very much." The man whispered to Ryouga. Then, he disappeared. Ryouga left the house feeling very good. He had never seen anyone so happy in his life. He just hoped he could bring the village the honor he had promised. He went back to his campsite and once again went through his katas. When he had thouroughly tired himself out, he sat down and mediatated. He immensely enjoyed his meditation sessions. They allowed him to forget about the problems he had with Akane and P-chan and Ranma and the rest of the world. He was peaceful, and it felt good. He laid down in his tent and went to sleep. The next morning, he got up and walked to Zantetsu's cabin. He knocked on the door and Zantetsu opened it. "Early, as usual" Zantetsu joked. Ryouga smiled and they walked off to the sparring field. Ryouga once again soundly beat his Sensei, which seemed to please his master more than upset him. He realized why: Ryouga's proficiency in martial arts was a direct result of Zantetsu's training. Any victory Ryouga obtained was partially Zantetsu's also. He hadn't even realized as he founght that he still wore the bracelets. He had grown accustomed to the extra weight. After the match, Zantetsu suggested Ryouga remove the weights. Ryouga complied and removed the weights first from his hands, then form his feet. He took a few steps experimentally, noticing that he was able to carry his body much easier now. His body didn't seem as heavy as it had once seemed. He took off running, surprised at how fast he was able to accelerate. He tried a few punches and realized the weights and realized just how much the weights had affected him. His punches were lightning quick, though now coming close to the speed of Ranma's tenshin amaguriken technique. He didn't worry though. He was in perfect shape. He ran around, enjoying the feel of the breeze as he accelerated to faster and faster speeds. He stopped and looked back at Zantetsu, who just smiled at him, much like he had smiled when Ryouga had done his first controlled displacement. He bowed low to the ground as a sign of respect to his master, then stood up and laughed. He laughed because he had just overcome the biggest flaw with his fighting style. Nothing could stand in his way now! The next weeks went by quickly. Ryouga was learning to use his greatly enhanced speed and agility in a fight. He could now beat Zantetsu without taking a hit because of his incredible speed. He still used the weights when he ran laps, but for the most part, he practiced without them. As the day of the tournament approached, the workouts got more and more rigorous. Ryouga liked it this way, though. Mediocity was not the way he lived his life up until now, and he wasn't about to start. he continued to drive himself, pushing himself further and further... Finally the day of the tournament arrived. Ryouga arrived at Zantetsu's house early in the morning, and was mildly surprised to find that he was, for once, awake. Zantetsu approached Ryouga and hugged him tightly. "Show 'em what you're made of. Make me proud, my son!" Ryouga hugged him back and said his goodbyes. He turned and looked at his map. Then he was gone. He reappeared in front of the building the tournament was to be held in. He walked up to the competitor's door and handed the guard his ticket. "You may enter" the guard coldly said. Ryouga walked into the locker rooms and marveled at the fighters he saw around him. He didn't recognize them, but they were, nevertheless, very impressive looking. Especially the huge muscular man with the lion's mask. He looked formidable. There was a disturbance behind him as the guard was yelling at someone trying to enter the locker room. "Your dog may not enter the locker room! You'll just have to chain him up somewhere outside." the guard insisted. "Interceptor stays with me. Step aside. Now."