Ranma briskly walked along the fence on his way to school.  He looked warily at Akane, who walked at the street level below him.  She seemed a little distant this morning, like something was on her mind.  It was probably the strange green and black senshi outfit she was wearing last night, but Ranma didn't know what that had to do with anything.
    Ranma's eyes drifted from the remote Akane to a young girl crying at the foot of a tree.  Ranma was running late for class, so he hopped over to investigate.  Akane quickly followed as she caught sight of the tear-eyed youngster.

"What's the matter?" Ranma asked in his deep voice.  He had avoided getting wet this morning.
"My pet Canary is in the tree, and I can't get her down," the girl replied between sobs.

    Ranma leapt gracefully to the rescue.  Gracefully, that is, until he heard the girl ask Akane:
"Is he really gonna save my kitty?"

    Ranma lifted his head to realize that he was swiftly approaching a large, brown cat.  He desperately tried to turn around in midair, but succeeded only in slamming his head against the bottom of a tree branch.  He hung there for a moment before gravity kicked in, pulling him to land harshly on his back.

"Why is your cat named 'Canary'?" Akane inquired, paying no care to Ranma's condition.

"Cause that's what he likes ta' eat!" the girl replied with a grin.

    Ranma quickly became aware of the circumstances and regained his composure as soon as he scuttled away from the tree.  He hated to have to say to the girl that he couldn't save her cat.  He never actually got around to saying this, for he was interrupted by an un-cute girl's voice.
"Maybe I can help here."

    Ranma looked up to see Akane yet again in her green and black Senshi costume.  Imprinted on her chest was a green and white lantern, and a jade glow was emanating from a ring on her left hand.  She wore a headband, but nothing over her face.  Ranma shook his head.  Did Akane actually think that no one would recognize her?

"Aren't you the lady that was just here?" the girl asked bewildered.
    At this, Ranma burst out laughing.  Akane tensed her shoulders and focused at the task at hand.  She swallowed hard and a green aura enveloped her.  With all of her concentration, she imagined herself flying.  "Imagine" would be an accurate choice of words, as she did not in fact leave the ground.  Still covered in her green aura, Akane started the climb the tree, descending with a furious cat in her arms and swear words on the tip of her tongue.  She wiped the droplets of blood off her face and sighed.  Ranma bounced after her, cheerful to make distance away from the cat.

"Tell me, Akane," he quietly said, raising her to her feet.  Even as he talked, her costume dissolved into her school uniform. "Can that ring do anything OTHER than make us late for class?"

"I don't know," she replied angrily. She began to talk to the ring as she struggled to take it off. "Why did I put you on in the first place?!?"

"Don't ask me, hun," it replied in a throaty feminine voice.
    Akane would have delved into the matter further, but Ranma had grabbed her arm and was dragging her at a face pace towards Furinkan High.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Ranma gritted his teeth.  He did NOT want to be late.  Considering what his father had him do in the name of 'training', bucket duty was nothing.  But with Principal Kuno in charge of the school, Ranma was not ready to give the wanna-be Hawaiian any reason to extract discipline.  He wanted to keep his pigtail.  A sudden thought hit Ranma.  What if Principal Kuno was not really mad, but instead pretended to be a Hawaii-obsessed maniac.  The number of people tardy to class had greatly decreased since the Principal showed up with his razor.  Ranma had heard in class the philosophy "it is better to be feared than loved," and who else was more feared in the school than Principal Kuno.  Could there be method to his madness? Could it all be a charade?
    This idea was instantly discarded at the sight of Tatewaki Kuno advancing with his wooden bokuto raised high.  Nah, if the Principal was anything like his two kids, he was off his rocker.
    Much as he would have loved to bash Kuno's teeth in, Ranma knew that the feudal-minded moron had a hard head.  Giving Kuno the sound thrashing he was asking for would require time Ranma didn't have.  He knew that it was a dirty trick, but Ranma felt forced to use the Saotome Desperation Strike #1.

"Kuno," Ranma yelled, "is that a pig-tailed goddess I see behind you?"

    Kuno, the idiot, turned his head as if by reflex, giving Ranma the opening to boot him across the yard with the 'Secret of Attacking from Behind like a Hunting Canine."  Kuno's extremely dense skull could take a dozen such kicks before loosing consciousness, but Ranma succeeded in stalling Kuno long enough to get to class on time.
Ranma quickly looked over his shoulder to see if Akane was okay.  She was fine, though she intensely staring at her ring.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Samuel R. Fletcher was still a little jet-lagged as he walked around Nerima.  He thought that he made through customs quite easily, considering he was a ... Wanted Criminal!  Samuel played with the title in his mind before his conscience kicked in.  He really wasn't wanted.  He was a super-villain.  Yeah, no one actually called him that, but he had faced several superheroes.  He had a daring struggle with the Green Arrow, and Sam had succeeded in making the cocky archer very late for lunch.  Sam was proud to say that the Flash captured him in 2.3 seconds, considering the Flash took out the entire Royal Flush gang in 2 seconds flat.
    Samuel was, however, wishing to forget Gotham City.  To be beaten by Superman or some other super-human was one thing, but to be defeated by a mere mortal?  It was humiliating.  The Boy Wonder's taunting was still ringing in his ears...
    No more, Samuel told himself.  That was why he had traveled to Japan, far away from heroes.  He knew of no superheroes in Japan, and Superman didn't deal with petty crimes on an international basis.  Sure, he ran the risk of hitting a Sailor Scout, but he liked his odds.  No, the customs people let him into the country because he didn't have a gun.  Fools, he thought, Samuel R. Fletcher doesn't need conventional weaponry...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Akane was paying no attention to the teacher.  She had been staring at the ring for almost an hour, and she had yet to figure it out.  She could have sworn it had said something earlier.  But then again, it didn't seem to be doing anything but change her outfit and glow.

"What is going on?" she thought to herself.
"Not much, kiddo," a course female voice replied.
    Akane nearly jumped out of her chair, gaining the attention of much of the classroom.  Had they heard the voice?
"Not likely," the voice answered. "I can communicate to you telepathically, and vice-versa."
    Akane sat forward in chair, focusing her eyes on the ring.
"The Ring can talk?"
"Sure can."
The Ring's voice resembled that of a forty-year-old female New York chainsmoker, but it had the love of a burdened Jewish Mother in it.
"I'm a Green Lantern Power Ring version 1.4.  I possess a telepathic link to the wearer, I make you impoivious to mortal injury, and I can manifest anything your darling lil' mind can come up with.  On the downside, your communication is limited to this galaxy, and anything you conjure is weakened by yellow."

"I don't think the communication-thing will be a problem, but what do you mean 'anything I conjure is weakened by yellow'?"
"Well anything that you will the ring to create will be-"
"That's just it!  I haven't been able to do anything except fly, and to do that I have to flap my arms!"
"Hmm.  Looks like you and I will have'ta do some training.  Later though, cause your teacher is glaring at you."

    Akane looked up to see her teacher scowling at the edge of Akane's desk.
"Sorry to break you away from your jewelry, Miss Tendo, but could you tell us which revolutionary figure founded the country known as the United States of America."
    Akane fumbled with her notes, trying to ignore her moist brow.
"Ring," she thought.
"Yeah, toots?" it telepathically responded.
"Any idea who founded America?"
"No sweat."
    The name was beamed into her head, and Akane turned to her teacher with a smile.
"It was George-"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Akane stood outside with a bucket in either hand.  She gritted her teeth as she tried to ignore the Ring's telepathic rambling.
"Washington, Hamilton, they both SOUND similar.  I always get them mixed up. I think Hamilton was a president too you know.  I would help you hold a bucket, of course, but I am only a piece of jewelry."
    Omnipotent or not, Akane knew never to trust this ring on a test.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"As I was said," the ring spoke aloud while Akane was walking home, "we need to train you somewhere."

    Akane and the Ring were communicating verbally, as no one was around.  Ranma could be seen further down the road, running for his life.  Considering Mousse was chasing him under the accusation of "unfairly ignoring Shampoo", Akane guessed that Ranma ate at Ukyo's last night.  She returned her attention to the ring.

"What did you have in mind for a place to train?" she asked the jade trinket.
"Someplace large and spacy, but still away from the public.  Indoors is not a bad idea."

    Akane slid open the screen door to the Tendo Dojo.
"You read my mind, dearie," it hoarsely said.

    A small compromise between her costume and her normal workout clothes, she hoped no one would notice her glowing green gi.  She set out the bricks and weights at the ring's suggestion.  She stood in the middle of the dojo and awaited instruction.

"Let's start with that brick just in front of you.  This requires your complete concentration.  Try to think mind over matter.  Try-"
    Akane had heard this speech before.  With a single struck she chopped the brick in half.
"Nice cut, sweetum, but I was going to ask you to levitate it.  Still, considering how well you did flying, it's probably better if you start by levitating half a brick."
    Akane blushed a little and kneeled down in front of the brick halves.

"Okay, concentrate around the brick-half.  Act as though you are picking it up, but don't move any of your muscles."

    Akane shut her eyes hard.  She began to feel the brick in her hand.  With a strain, she envisioned picking up the brick.  She opened her eyes to see the brick half suspended before her eyes.

"It's floating! It's-"
    She noticed a hand holding the brick up from the side.  Akane turned to see Ranma holding it up with a sheepish grin on his face.  Her fists clenched and her eyes narrowed in on her target.

"THUMP."

    Akane kneeled in front of the collapsed Ranma and the brick fragments.
"Don't worry, it's best if we did start with a fourth of a brick."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Okay, let us move on to manifestation.  Try to imagine... a fruit."

    In front of Akane a green blob of power contorted and twisted into a shape. The end result looked like a wax head of lettuce that had melted.

"That doesn't look like any fruit I've seen," Ranma stated bluntly.
"It's an artichoke," she said in defense.  "You know, the thing that goes in guacamole."
"That's an avocado," the ring corrected.
"You haven't seen Akane cook," Ranma said in an even blunter tone.

"C'mon," the ring goaded, "visualize the fruit, and focus the energies."
"Is an avocado a fruit or a vegetable?" Ranma solicited.
"I know an artichoke is a vegetable, but I don't know what an avocado is."
    Akane, right then, was trying to visualize anything other than her hands around Ranma's neck.
"Akane, concentrate every part of the ... object."
"Yeah, feel the force."
    Ranma's last comment sent Akane over the edge.  She turned towards him with her teeth gritted and a look of deep hatred on her face.  Ranma was more or less calm, in a stance that readied him from any of Akane's punches or kicks.  Ranma was not prepared for a 10 foot emerald mallet.
    As her rage started to leave her, Akane began to grasp the situation.  The moment she felt the mallet was no longer needed, it began to dissolve.

"Did I just conjure... did I... make that..."
    She turned to the fallen Ranma, was groaning with pain.
"By Jove, I think she's got it," the ring said with a sigh of relief.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Akane was standing on her hands.  Around her were floating many of the weight sets, the dumbbells, and fitting the pattern, Ranma.  She was feeling the power surge through her when she heard a distressing sound.  All of the objects she was levitating fell to the ground, and grasping from the yell, several of the weights instead fell on Ranma.  Akane talked to the ring with a desperate tone.

"I heard people screaming."
"That was just me as the 25 lb. weight fell below my waist," Ranma grunted in a higher tone.
"No, before that."
"I didn't hear anything," Ranma said trying to stand.  His knees came together and he toppled over.
"Not surprising," the ring snorted.  "The ring, that is to say I, increases the senses of its wearer.  You were probably hearing something a mile or two away, maybe closer."

"Probably Happosi on his daily panty raid," Ranma said after regaining the ability to stand.  "Even if it was, I think it is worth checking out."

    A flash of emerald light flared from Akane.  When it faded, Akane stood there in her Senshi skirt, boots and gloves, but with the Green Lantern leotard around her torso.  She opened the dojo door and began to float downtown.  Ranma observed that he could have jumped downtown faster than she was moving right then, but he knew that she deserved her one moment of fame.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    At the Nerima bank was washed in a sea of confusion.  First of all, the whole lobby had been flooded with opaque bubbles, during which a brown-haired Caucasian had slipped in.  He stood there with a bandoleer filled of bottles of children's bubble.  He flipped frantically through a Japanese/English phrase book, spewing out cryptic commands to the clerks.

"You(singular) borrow money sacks put in," he said in a heavy accent.
"Invest money to I(feminine) shortly," he stammered while threateningly waving a bubble wand.

    The guards had had quite enough of this and charged the peculiar figure.  With a single breath a flurry of bubbles formed from the wand towards the approaching guards' faces.  They clutched their eyes and fell to the floor.
    The dire situation seemed quite dire indeed, for no one else here had the prowess or the spine to take on the ludicrous figure.  No one, that is, until a girl in green descended in front of the glass doors.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Akane deemed it best to tend to the guards before facing this seemingly unstable foe.  She crouched over the curled up guards and gasped.

"Oh no, I'm to late.  The guards have been seriously-"
"Actually," one of the guards spoke up," we're not all that bad off.  We're quite alive, and my pulse is quite normal."

"What was it then, some paralysis solution?  Did the bubbles rob you of your eyesight?"
"No, not really," the guarded admitted scratching his while still lying horizontal.  "He kind of got soap in our eyes."
"Just ordinary soap?" Akane asked in disbelief.
"Yep, we'll be fine in a half-hour or so, maybe twenty minutes.  Have you ever had soap in your eyes, though?  Sure does sting.  Am I right, boys?"
    The other guards nodded without breaking from their curled up positions.  Akane sighed and left them to their "troubles".

    Akane gazed carefully at the back of this criminal's head.  She was either dealing with a madman, or she was dealing with a person who belonged in Nerima.  She didn't want to take a chance, so she decided to draw this man's attention from the innocent bank clerks.  When all exclamations failed, she put two fingers in her mouth and gave a shrill whistle.  The robber turned around to face her, and Akane could swear she heard the bank guards talk about how the whistle "sure stung."  Her foe's eyes opened wide and he flipped briefly through the phrase book before uttering "Oh excrement."

"Ring?" Akane whispered to the glowing trinket.
"I'm here," it confirmed."
"Can you translate what I say to his language?"
"Sure thing, toots."
    She began to address the man in English.  He was startled at first, but his shoulders relaxed.

"Do you understand me," Akane asked him as a trial.
"Sure do," he replied, tucking the phrase book it his belt.
"Curse my luck," he grumbled. "The one time that I decide to commit a robbery in Japan, and a Sailor Scout shows up."
"I'm not a Sailor Scout."
"You ain't?"  The American scratched his head.  "Who are you then?"
"I'm a Green Lantern," she replied while striking a pose.
    The hand on Samuel's had stopped scratching, but instead lay there motionless.
"... right.  Listen, little girl, I'm going to rob this bank over here.  If you don't get in my way, you can play your little make believe game without getting hurt."

    As soon as he turned his head, a green bonbori bounced off it.  She was a Green Lantern after all.  Akane saw him turn and raise the bubble wand near his lips.  A single blow sent dozens of bubbles zooming towards Akane's unmasked face.  The words of caution from the not-so-dying guard echoed in her mind as she racked her brain for a way out.  Pushing her concentration to the limit, five-dozen green toothpicks flew from her ring, each of them striking its initial target.  The applause from the bank customers caused the American to grit his teeth.

"So you're a Green Lantern, eh?  Try to stop this, then!"
    He switched his open bottle for another bottle lower on the bandoleer.  A much greater puff sent a cloud of yellowish, lemon-scented bubbles towards Akane.

"Lemon Pinesol!" someone exclaimed.
"That would sting for days," she heard a guard gasp.

"Unless I'm wrong, which I sincerely hope I'm not," the American madman said, "your ring cannot touch the yellow bubbles!  Writhe in your lemon-scented Death Trap!"

    Akane knew that what he said was accurate.  This is what the ring was trying to tell her earlier.  How could she stop the bubbles without touching...
    A smile crept across Akane's face.  An oversized Eastern fan materialized in Akane's hand.  She unfolded it above her head and brought it down full force.  The air was forced away from her, sending the stream of bubbles back to Sam.

"I'm melting, Melting!" he cried among the pungent lemon scent. "All of my beautiful wickedness, gone!  Oh, what a world..."

    The buffoon collapsed on the floor and the crowd circled around to see if he really was melting.  The were disappointed when he wasn't.  Akane stepped out of the bank and gazed over her shoulder to the bank.  The guards were inquisitively poking and prodding the Pinesol soaked villain.

"Bet that stings," she heard one say.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Ranma was walking along the edge of the fence, trying to find something to do.  He had lost Mousse, who had mistaken some guy in a police car for Ranma.  The stupid Chinese boy had followed the arrested stranger all the way downtown,  and was probably still on his tail.

    Ranma sighed and looked up.  The day was still pretty young, and he was out of ideas.  The only options that came to him were to cruise the streets in Girl form to get extra dessert or to head home and train with the old man.  Ranma knew that his father would assault him in his sleep if the codger felt that Ranma was shirking his training, so Ranma decided to head back to the dojo.
    He turned to see Kuno standing in his way with a devious grin on his face.  Ranma reminded himself to wipe that grin off of that face.  Kuno's spoke up, his feudal mind in full gear.

"You, Ranma Saotome, ingeniously tricked me this morning to avoid my challenge.  Such bad form cannot go unpunished."
    Ingenious? Ranma had pulled the oldest trick in the book, and he knew it.  Ranma would have bet that Kuno'd fall for the other Saotome Desperation Strikes, but he felt them unnecessary for now.  He would just take out Kuno the same way he normally does; sickeningly simple.

"You Ranma, will pay."
    Ranma's eyes went wide.  Kuno had drawn from no where a five-foot glowing yellow Katana blade.  A real, bladed katana.  The most frightening of all was the glowing yellow ring Kuno wore on his left ring finger.

Chapter 3: Kunestro!

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