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-- File: Shamp10.txt
Ranma � and it�s characters are the creation and property of Rumiko
Takahashi-sama and various other entities, none of whom happen to be
me. I�m simply using them without permission, but I promise to put
them all back when I�m done, except possibly for Shampoo;)
My other works can be found at http://www.angelfire.com/anime5/ficaleb
Feedback may be sent to caleb_david@angelfire.com
Support quality fanfic; subscribe to http://www.faniac.com
Shampoo�s Chance: Spirit of the Law
By: Kaleb
Chapter 10
Who�s ya Sensei Showdown
�SHAMPOO BATTLE DRESS, MAKEUP!�
�What the hel�� Ranma�s charge suddenly came to a halt as
Shampoo twirled around and tossed her waitress outfit up into the air,
leaving her completely naked and her now unconfined breasts free to
follow those movements. Blushing, Ranma looked away, �Quit screwin�
around and put some clo��
�Ranma, look out!� warned Akane.
Diving for cover, then rolling to his feet, Ranma barely
avoided Shampoo�s lunge attack. Both combatants whirled around to face
each other, Shampoo now dressed in her clans� full battle regalia;
complete with bracers, battle bra, and bonbori, or rather, one of her
bonbori. Shampoo looked at it, appearing confused, while Ranma eyed
her warily, determined not to miss her next move. �Now where I leave
other one?� wondered Shampoo aloud. Suddenly seeming to remember,
Shampoo snapped her fingers, �Oh yeah,� *KA-KLONCK* �Was in waitress
dress,� declared Shampoo smugly as her second bonbori dropped atop
Ranma�s head, dropping him to the ground. Clutching her bonbori in
both hands for more power, Shampoo lunged like lightning again,
prepared to pulverize Ranma where he lay. �HIYAA!�
[I can�t lose this quickly again!] thought Ranma desperately
through his hazy head. Ignoring the ringing in his ears, Ranma grabbed
Shampoo�s other bonbori. �Thanks for the weapon!� shouted Ranma as he
returned it to its owner with a full force throw, forcing an early
swing on her part to deflect it. Now that she couldn�t counter, Ranma
sprung forward on his hands, catching Shampoo in a scissor lock, which
he quickly reversed into a scissor suplex, slamming her to the ground
hard enough to send her body bouncing. �You overcommitted your final
strike Shampoo,� scolded Ranma over his shoulder as he followed through
on his momentum, flipping back to his feet.
�How�?� groaned Shampoo from where she lay, holding her head
with one hand and propping herself up on the other elbow. To Ranma�s
dismay she quickly got back on her feet, appearing only slightly dazed.
>From her dropped bonbori and the dents in her bracers, it appeared
she�d been quick enough to curl her head and cover with her arms,
taking the brunt of the suplex�s force on her forearms. �Can�t believe
Ranma recover so quick.�
�I could say the same about you,� complemented Ranma as he
pressed his current advantage, unleashing a barrage of strikes at
Shampoo before she could fully recovered. �I also can�t believe how
stupid that cheap opening of yours was; Shampoo Battle Dress, Makeup!�
mocked Ranma in falsetto.
�I thought it was quite stylish,� commented Nabiki from the
sidelines, �and an ingenious technique. Throw a guy off guard by
twirling around naked, then take him out while he�s distracted.�
�If Akane hadn�t interfered Ranma would no still be standing,�
said Shampoo as she gave ground, concentrating on blocking Ranma�s
attacks while she waited for her head to completely clear. [That�s no
empty boast] worried Ranma. [I know she can win with one clean shot,
but if I don�t let her� Whoa! Barely avoided that counter. Damn!
She�s really good. And fast. Can�t let my guard down for a second].
�What are you doing here?� Akane asked as she turned to her
sister.
�It�s not a proper fight without a Greek chorus,� explained
Nabiki. �And you can�t very well be a chorus by yourself, now can
you?�
�What the hell are you talking about?!�
�Anyway, this looks like it�s going to be good. Shampoo�s
starting to put Ranma on the defensive and make him give ground. Looks
like he may have met his match,� said Nabiki slyly, watching Akane out
of the corner of her eye.
�Don�t underestimate Ranma,� huffed Akane defensively. �Even
when outmatched, he�s surprisingly resourceful. If there�s a way to
win, he�ll find it, and if there isn�t, he�ll keep fighting till he
makes one up. Besides, I think he�s just trying to avoid getting in
real close with Shampoo; she could slip in one of her debilitating
pressure point attacks real easy then. He�s just giving ground to keep
her at arms length.�
�Your faith in your fiance is commendable. What say we put it
to the test? How much you willing to wager Ranma wins this?�
�W-what? � I�m not going to bet with you Nabiki! You always
cheat and screw me over somehow!�
�My, _someone�s_ bitter about _always_ being got the best of,�
laughed Nabiki. Then speaking loudly while watching the combatants out
of the corner of her eye, �I guess that shows who you think is really
going to win. Poor Ranma, his fiance doesn�t even believe in him
enough to place a harmless little wager.�
[Akane?] Ranma�s train of thought was abruptly derailed as
Shampoo smacked him in the torso and upside the head with a double
roundhouse. Stumbling back, her narrowly evaded her finishing hook
kick and follow through sidekick. Regaining his focus, he still
couldn�t help but glance over at the girls on the sideline one more
time.
Akane embarrassedly looked away. �Guess I can�t blame you
after seeing how sloppy Ranma just was,� said Nabiki. �At this rate
Shampoo will have him in no time.�
�Shut up Nabiki. Who knows what you learned from that day with
Shampoo that your keeping to yourself.�
�Well, I did learn something,� admitted Nabiki, �but nothing
that�ll give me an edge here, and not for lack of trying. Still,
_I�ve_ got enough faith to bet on Shampoo, even though I honestly don�t
know how this�ll turn out. I�d forgotten how exciting it could be to
have things uncertain. Your missing one of your best chances Akane;
it�s rare for me to go on instinct instead of insider information.�
�Fine, I�ve got 500 on Ranma,� said Akane determinedly, despite
never having won a bet against Nabiki, or perhaps because of it.
�500? _That�s_ the extent of your faith? Please Akane, lets
make this worth our time. I�ve got 5000 on me which I�m willing to put
on Shampoo.�
�5000?! I thought you were near broke a couple days ago.
Where�d you get� never mind. I don�t want to know. I�ll bet 2000 that
Ranma wins, you can take it or leave it.�
�Deal,� said Nabiki with a smile as she and Akane shook on it.
�All right! Go get him Shampoo! If you win this we�ll celebrate with
some drinks from my winnings! Of course I�ll expect you to make up for
skipping out on the tip last time!�
�Would give that rest already?! Still, drink really hit spot
after get done here,� said Shampoo as she casually wiped the sweat from
her brow with one hand and blocked Ranma�s punches with the other. It
irritated Ranma, but Shampoo didn�t feel quite as confident as she was
acting. Against opponents who she didn�t take down immediately, she
usually was able to pick up on patterns in their fighting style by now.
Everyone had attacks and defenses that they unconsciously favored, and
once she detected them, she could very quickly end a match. But Ranma
seemed to be stringing his moves together completely randomly, yet not
haphazardly, it was too damn effective for that. There seemed to be an
almost poetic method underlying the madness, but for the life of her
Shampoo couldn�t read or anticipate it.
That wasn�t keeping her from launching her own offense though,
as evidenced by her turning her sweat wiping into a knife hand counter.
Shampoo was sure she had him, but at the last moment he ducked, not
enough to evade the blow, but a knife hand was designed to either break
the neck or rupture the carotid artery; at this level her hand merely
bounced off his head. [Ow! Thick skulled idiot! How I keep missing ?
Had several strikes already should connected cleanly! Like he dodging
by sheer force of will to no lose, where his power come from? Got to
get guard down somehow.] Turning toward the girls on the sideline,
Shampoo asked sweetly, �Where Akane going to treat her knight to date
if he win her winnings?�
�W-what, that wasn�t part of the bet!� exclaimed a blushing
Akane. �T-the jerk would probably lose rather than have to date me.�
�Eyes front you cocky bastard. Let�s see you block all these!
TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!� Ranma unleashed the first technique taught him by
the Amazons; a burst of speedy movement capable of unleashing hundreds
of punches instantaneously. They were far to fast for the girls to
follow, but before they were finished Shampoo was knocked off her feet
and then sent flying across the yard. �Hah! How�d you like that! You
fly a lot further than Ryo� *gasp*� Ranma�s taunts were cut short as
he went down on one knee and clutched the bottom of his ribcage.
�Both of them? Good thing I had you bet on Ranma winning.
Even if it�s a draw, I win,� said Nabiki.
�Would you shut up about that! I think Ranma�s choking!� said
Akane as she rushed toward Ranma�s side. �Shampoo must have traded
with him and struck his diaphragm. If she paralyzed it he won�t be
able to breathe! God, I hope that idiot didn�t knock her out. She
might be the only one who can release it in time!� Realizing the
situation was serious, Nabiki ran over to check on Shampoo. �Ranma!
Are you okay? Can you breathe?! Say something!� implored a panicked
Akane.
�And *gasp* how the hell *gasp* � would I do that if I was
*gasp* choking,� said an annoyed Ranma through labored breathing.
Fortunately he was too short on breath to add an insult questioning his
fiance�s intelligence, or he really would have been finished.
�Oh right, you�d need air to� Then you are alright!� said
Akane thankfully.
�Of course I am�� said Ranma as he pushed Akane away. �I was
able to twist enough� to throw her aim off� it�s just cramping a
little� Now get out of the way!� snarled Ranma, ��I�ve got a fight to
finish��
�Damn, Shampoo thought finished you there,� spat the amazon as
she rose too her feet, looking a little worse for wear. �Still, only
matter of time before Ranma falling,� declared the amazon as she wasted
no time charging back in at him. �Was waiting for Ranma use that
technique,� taunted Shampoo as she and Ranma rejoined their hand to
hand melee. �When focus on such excessive punching, leave small but
perfect opening for Shampoo.�
�Yeah, too bad you blew it. I�d say you got the worse of that
exchange,� boasted Ranma as he regained his breath. �Sure it hurts a
bit to breathe in, but that�s nothing I can�t ignore now that the
cramping has stopped. Face it, your fancy little pressure point
attacks are worthless as long as I keep in motion. Your good,
extremely good in fact� for a girl; but you can�t beat me without the
weapons, cheap shots, and tricks you amazons use to compensate for
being weaker than men.�
�Really? Chauvinist pig boy just keep trying convince self
that as long as able. Martial art lot more than raw strength; not how
hard or how much, but _how_ hit that matter,� lectured Shampoo as she
slipped a hook past Ranma�s guard. �And I knowing how do more damage!�
twisting her knuckles, Shampoo shredded Ranma�s inner cheek against his
own incisors.
�You�d been better off rechambering that attack quickly,�
countered Ranma as he grabbed her wrist, �than risking an opening just
to add that spiteful injury!� Using the momentum he already had from
the amazon�s blow, Ranma yanked Shampoo off her feet, over his head,
and slammed her straight on her back. Expecting a follow up throat
strike, Shampoo wildly lashed out with a pressure point counter, but
Ranma knew better to stay in close with the amazon. Withdrawing into a
crane stance, he then launched an ax kick, dropping it straight at
Shampoo�s raised head. �TAAAH!�
Flattening her head against the ground and catching Ranma�s
heel in her palm, Shampoo was able to bring it to a stop right before
it impacted her face. Bringing her other hand up, she shoved back,
throwing Ranma off his feet. [Shit, that too close!] thought Shampoo
as she scrambled back onto hers. [Can�t believe let sexist fools
trash talk make Shampoo so careless! That supposed be my game!]
Panting, the two tired warriors turned back toward each other. Without
giving either of them time to catch their breath, Shampoo resumed her
assault. �Might think have advantage as man,� warned Shampoo, �but if
Ranma no start taking seriously and stop pulling attacks, won�t stand
chance!�
�Huh? I�m not��
�Don�t jerk Shampoo round! I felt! With ax kick, and Tenshin
Amaguriken, was slight, but didn�t put full force behind,� suddenly
bringing her arms back to help brace her stomach, Shampoo let Ranma�s
sucker punch connect. �See?!� accused the amazon as she locked her
indignant eyes on Ranma �You holding back!� Her angry counter punch
knocked a surprised Ranma for a loop.
[She�s right!] realized Ranma as he got back on his feet. [It
was almost imperceptibly slight, but I did pull that punch at the last
moment. But why? I wasn�t trying too�yikes!]
�You find I hard enough knock out as is; so stop playing and
give Shampoo real fight!�
�You tell him Shampoo! Kick his ass!� cheered Nabiki, feeling
that things were finally turning around.
�You idiot! I thought you weren�t going to be holding back!�
yelled a distraught Akane. �You make me almost hope Shampoo kicks that
chauvinistic ass of yours!�
�Damn it! Could I please get a different cheerleader?� Ranma
complained while weaving his way around Shampoo�s ferocious attacks
while trying to figure out what in the world was wrong with his.
�I don�t think he can help it Akane; as long as I�ve known him,
hitting girls hasn�t been Ranma�s style,� Nabiki explained. �I�ve
heard that male wolves are hardwired to be incapable of hurting the
females. Ranma has pretty entrenched ideas about what is and isn�t
proper conduct for a man. Striking women may be distasteful enough to
him that he�s subconsciously shrinking from it. You can�t expect him
to immediately discard something so ingrained that it�s become an
instinct.�
�Oh Ranma� you� y-you dummy!�
�Which means he�s in big trouble,� concluded Nabiki. �Given
Shampoo seems to be real tough and that Ranma�s attacks aren�t at full
strength, I don�t think he can score a KO.�
�Hey, if Shampoo had been just a bit slower reacting, both the
suplex and the ax kick would have been lights out for her,� pointed out
Akane.
�_If_ she�d been slower, but she wasn�t. She�s incredibly
fast, and with a strong defense to top it off. I don�t think Ranma�s
used to dealing with an opponent who doesn�t give him the speed
advantage.�
�We could say the same for Shampoo. They�ve both got an
amazing amount of agility. I can hardly follow their exchanges; they
seem about equal speed wise.�
�For now,� admitted Nabiki. �But I think I see Shampoo�s
strategy. The longer this battle goes on, the more likely Ranma is to
lose.�
�Wha�?� Akane�s question was interrupted by Ranma�s body
crashing between the two girls.
�What wrong Ranma?� Shampoo asked sweetly as she lowered her
foot. �*tsk* You bit too slow there. Is the mighty man getting
tired?� suggested the amazon as she advanced on her panting rival.
�She�s wearing him out!� realized Akane.
�Uh huh,� Nabiki said. �Intense hand to hand combat can be
even more exhausting than all out sprinting. They�ve been going at it
for a while now, and Shampoo�s been making sure Ranma doesn�t get any
breathers.
�But shouldn�t Shampoo be slowing down too?� asked Akane.
�Not yet. Her everyday training gives her a definite edge over
Ranma here.�
�Daily training?�
�The deliveries�!� realized Ranma as he desperately gave
ground, trying keep his distance from the relentless amazon. But he
was rapidly running out of space to back up into.
�You mean all her biking for the Cat Cafe customers�?� Akane
said in disbelief.
�Yup,� confirmed Nabiki. �Customer satisfaction is the most
important factor in the restaurant business. Happy customers become
repeat customers. It�s imperative to get their food to them as quickly
as possible. Considering Shampoo�s skill on her bike, the Cat Cafe
must have quite the reputation for delivery.�
�True, true,� chimed in Shampoo as she stepped inside Ranma�s
punch and sent him flying into the wall with a sidekick. �Our speedy
deliveries so popular. Is insane. At peak time Shampoo so busy
zooming back and forth. Is much exhausting. But try to stay fast as
possible, get bigger tips then.�
�Everyday Shampoo pushes her lungs endurance to the max trying
to get her customers their dinner piping hot. What a work ethic! No
wonder she�s out lasting Ranma. Doesn�t help that he�s got an injured
diaphragm either. Shampoo probably had this planned from the start,�
said Nabiki with obvious admiration.
�And Ranma only helped speed things up with his Tenshin
Amaguriken!� groaned Akane. �Throwing all those punches so quickly is
taxing. He completely wore himself out that time he kept using them to
beat Ryoga�s bakentetsu endurance.�
�Still think got best of exchange?� taunted the Amazon as she
leisurely advanced on her cornered prey, licking her lips and flexing
her fingers for effect. [Like a cat�s claws] Ranma couldn�t help but
think as he shivered with dread. There was no mercy in her eyes, only
a gleeful sadism. First she�d paralyze, then play with him. Ranma�s
instincts were screaming at him to run, and only the knowledge that
she�d pounce if he so much as began to bolt allowed him to hold his
ground. [Get a hold of yourself Ranma!] thought the Saotome youth as
he tried to fight down the irrational terror taking hold of him and
keeping him from thinking straight. [Don�t let her unnerve you!
Think! There�s gotta be a way to turn this around�!]
�Pathetic,� said Shampoo with amused disgust as Ranma clutched
his trembling and hyperventilating body. �Must realize useless to try
resist. Perhaps hope I get bored and finish off sooner? Coward Mouse
boy not man at all,� Shampoo said sadly as she prepared her final
pressure point attack.
She never got to deliver it though. Only her noticing Ranma�s
pupils suddenly dilate and her awareness of his ki field drastically
shifting allowed her to put up her defenses in time. Not that they did
her much good. With a blood curdling �MEOOWWRR� Ranma pounced at the
amazon. Shampoo backed out of the range of his claw swipes, but not
far enough to avoid the powerful ki aura that surrounded the Neko-ken;
a ki aura to which bracers and flesh were hardly impediments. Shampoo
screamed in pain as Ranma converted her forearms into bleeding scratch
posts. Concentrating on maintaining the ki field around her muscles
was the only thing that kept them from being torn to pieces. Trying to
ignore the burning pain in her arms, Shampoo swatted Neko-Ranma away
with a double backhand, buying herself a moments respite. �I-
impossible,� shuddered the amazon, �Wasn�t pushing Ranma far enough to
make snap��
�No, unless he deliberately decided to push himself over,�
realized Akane.
�You mean he did it on purpose?� Nabiki gasped. �I didn�t
think he could do that. His phobia�s so intense that he always avoids
it. Even when he wanted to use it against Cologne, you had to shove
Shampoo in his face to force his change.�
�Right, but this time he didn�t run. Instead he faced his
terror and embraced it, confronting those traumatic memories that
Shampoo was trying to use against him,� explained Akane. �Ha! And you
thought he was a coward Shampoo! Who�s getting weak kneed now, neh?!�
�Uh Akane, maybe you should try and calm Ranma down and we call
this a match. If I recall, Ranma can�t control himself in this form,
and he looks like he wants to kill Shampoo right now. If his moral
restraints aren�t in place�� said Nabiki, only partially motivated by
the prospect of losing her bet.
�No! Shampoo still can win!� protested the amazon as she
steeled herself. Now that she was facing Neko-Ranma, Shampoo finally
understood why Cologne had thrown in the towel; if she made the
slightest mistake she might very well meet a gruesome death at her
former beloved�s claws. �Ranma make mistake; Neko-ken pure animal
offense. Shampoo can always find opening in attack like that [I
hoping], and one opening all I needing [I really hoping].� The amazon
also didn�t mention the collateral damage she�d have to take. But it
was unavoidable. Due to its inhuman speed and surrounding ki aura, the
Neko-ken was virtually impossible to dodge. And the penetrating power
of those ki claws made the technique unblockable to boot, as attested
by Shampoo�s shredded bracers. The Neko-ken was a truly horrifying
offense. Still, as long as she could survive it� Projecting a cat
like aura (easy considering she was intimately familiar with being one)
toward the hissing Ranma, Shampoo intended to set off his territorial
instincts and make him attack in a rage�
End of Chapter 10
Why? Because I�m evil. Bwhahahahaha! And as any fan of Shonnen
knows, a good fight is more than an episode long. This won�t turn into
Dragon Ball Z though; I promise to wrap the duel up next chapter.
Will Shampoo get horribly mauled? And just who is gonna win anyway?
You�ll have to tune in next time to find out. Don�t miss it!
Chapter 11
Who�s ya Sensei Showdown: Sudden Death Overtime
Shampoo: Why I no liking next chapter title?
Author: It�s a figure of speech.
Shampoo: Sure, like you never playing with double or more meanings.
Author: Uh� no comment.
Shampoo: Let Shampoo see that script! *snatch* AIYAH!
Author: Um� it�s not quite done yet� [maybe I should just shut up and
sneak out of here before she gets to _that_ part]
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