Chapter Text
Prologue: When It All Changed
While Genma and Ranma were still on their travels, training, they had just arrived in China after a long swim. Washing up at the docks of a seaport, tired and hungry from their journey. They dried off and began walking inland in search of food. Little did they know, not far behind was a fang-tooth youth following, or attempting to, since he was mainly swimming in circles, until a passing boat pushed him in the right direction. Back on land, the father and daughter set out in search of food.
"Geez, Pops, I'm starving. If you didn't use your money on a boat, then can you use it for some food?"
"Ranma, my daughter, let me tell you that I don't have any money."
"What!? Then how are we supposed to get anything?"
"We're not on vacation. We're here to train. We make do with our wills."
"Ok then, where is this Jusenkyo place you told me about?"
"About a few hundred or so miles in land. Nothing more than a few days' walk."
Ranma grows somewhat enraged at her father's lack of forethought and planning: "Why, you stupid old man. How could you plan a trip like this and not bring supplies?"
"They would weigh us down. Besides, a true martial artist doesn't need any supplies."
"They do if they want to eat, drink, and survive."
Thinking for a bit and then hearing his own stomach growl, Genma turns to his daughter: "You might have a point."
"You think."
Genma then looks around and sees a small stand that sells stuffed buns. He then gets an idea: "Ok, girl, follow my lead."
The two walk close to the food stand, then Genma, in a sneaky move, trips Ranma. She cries out as she falls over, causing the shopkeeper to check on her. In the distraction, Genma steals a few stuffed buns and puts them in his pocket as he helps his daughter up.
"Daughter, are you alright. Let me, your caring father, check up on you, but I will do it over there, away from all these people."
"What are you?"
Ranma is quickly picked up by Genma, as he runs away, leaving the shopkeeper and other bystanders confused. The shopkeeper then returns to his stand and notices his missing inventory. Over to where Genma had run away, he set Ranma down.
"Hey, what was all that, Pops?"
"An old Anything Goes Technique."
"What are you talking about?"
"Daughter, look at what I got," said Genma as he showed Ranma the stuffed bun he stole.
"How did you get those? Wait, did you trip me to steal those stuffed buns?"
"Right on, my daughter. You did well. Reminded me of how back in the day me and Nodoka would work together."
"Mom? She helped you with your schemes?"
"Well, not voluntarily, it took some convincing."
"So is this place really hundreds of miles away?"
"That's what the brochure says. At least I think it's what it says."
"Why did we have to go to a whole 'nother country for training. Couldn't Japan have been enough?"
"Now, Ranma, being a great martial artist means having experience and training in China is just that kind of experience, and remember why you're doing this."
"Yeah, for mom."
"Your mother, my Nodoka, expects me to make you the greatest martial artist in the world. I was a little against it at first since you were born a girl, but your mother convinced me. Her dream was to be a great martial artist, but she couldn't do it. Now she hopes that you can live up to her dream and master the Saotome Anything Goes Style."
"Mom must really be something if she's able to get you to change your ways."
"She's a strong woman, I love her for that. Also, it helps that she can easily convince me when she has her family katana during our talks."
"Oh, so it's fear that does it for you."
"Daughter, one day you will learn that there are some people who can't be beat, and cowardice is the only way to keep going."
"That doesn't sound like advice on being a great martial artist."
"It's just general advice. If you were born a boy, then you would have known the wrath of an angry wife. I do feel bad for your future husband to be."
"Husband? I ain't getting married yet."
"Yes, right. Let's finish our stuffed buns and make our way to the Jusenkyo Training Grounds and meet this Guide that works there."
"Right, hand me another bun."
The two eat and then walk some more over the better part of a week, traveling across China, making their way to Jusenkyo and meeting their Guide by its entrance.
"Welcome, honored guests, to Jusenkyo. I am Guide of area. I show you two around."
"Yes, me and my daughter here were hoping to see the training ground."
"Ah, training ground, they by springs, follow me, please."
The two follow the Jusenkyo Guide to an area of countless springs and pools of water with bamboo poles sticking out of them. The Guide then turns to lecture them on the history of Jusenkyo.
"Honored Guests, this is Jusenkyo Training Ground and Cursed Springs. Springs formed thousands years ago from very different drowned animals and people. Very tragic, very bad if anyone fall into springs, they turn into same thing that drowned." The Jusenkyo Guide finished explaining as he saw that Genma and Ranma had not been listening to him; instead, they jumped up onto the bamboo poles: "Honored Guests, very bad idea, please get down."
Once more, both father and daughter ignored the words of their guide as they stood at opposite ends of the bamboo poles sticking out of the Cursed Springs under them.
"Okay, daughter, now I will test how far you've come in the Anything Goes Style."
"Bring it on, Pops."
The two martial artists jump at each other to kick or punch the other, hopping from bamboo pole to bamboo pole, all while the Jusenkyo Guide watched in distress. Then, as usual, for a sparring session between Ranma and Genma, Ranma started to get the upper hand, and when Genma was leaping at her to attack, she swiftly blocked with a kick to Genma's gut, knocking him off the bamboo pole down into the spring.
"Hah ha, take that, Pops."
"Oh no. Very bad. He just fell into Shonmaonīchuan, Spring of Drowned Panda, very sad tale of panda that drowned there 2000 years ago."
Ranma couldn't make out what the guide had been saying as she gloated over her win against her father. Only then did she see bubbles under the water of the spring Genma fell in, and she readied herself for his counterattack. As she waits for her father, she is quite stunned when a panda, wearing her father's clothes and glasses, frozen in place from the shock, Panda Genma strikes the bamboo pole Ranma had been on, knocking her off. She would have fallen into the spring under her if the bamboo pole hadn't broken in half and knocked Ranma into the adjacent spring, where she reemerged from the water not the short ruby-red-haired girl, but a taller black black-haired boy.
"Wha? What happened? My voice," Ranma would then look at her, now his body, and see the transformation that took place: "This can't be real, right? Am I dreaming?" Ranma then feels around and notices an odd protrusion near her legs. She reaches down to feel it and then realizes what it is.
"Ahhhhhhh!"
"Oh, Honored Guest, you fall into Nannīchuan, Spring of Drowned Man, very tragic tale of man who drowned self, 1500 years ago, after bride drowned in adjacent spring."
Climbing out of the cursed springs, the Jusenkyo Guide helps them to his cabin to dry off and explain what had happened to the two freaking out visitors. Setting a pot of water, the Jusenkyo Guide offers Genma and Ranma some of his leftovers, which they don't decline.
"Is okay, Honored Guests. As I try to explain, the springs are cursed; anyone who fall in them transform into what had drowned there, by water. In this case, panda and man for you two." The pot of water would soon boil as the Guide got up to get it: "Worry not, curses not permanent. You can change back with hot water," said the Jusenkyo Guide as he poured the hot water on them, reverting them back to their original forms.
The fear both had quickly dissipated when they felt the hot water hit their faces and saw, as they changed back, relief rose on their face, but for one of them, that relief quickly turned to anger.
"Cursed Springs! How could you think that was a good idea?"
"Well, in my defence, daughter, I can't read Chinese."
A moment later, Genma went flying out the door from an uppercut.
"The girl's got a good right hook," said Genma before he passed out.
"You, you know a lot about these curses. Is there any cure?"
"I am sorry, Honored Guest, no true solution for Jusenkyo Curses, only remedies that act temporarily."
"Well, maybe it's not so bad. I just have to avoid water; it can't be that hard," as Ranma had finished saying, an undiscovered hole in the roof of the Jusenkyo Guide's cabin sprang a leak as water from an unexpected rainfall came down on Ranma, changing her into her male form.
"I should fix."
"Maybe it won't be easy to avoid water."
"Honored Guests, you two can stay few days, get used to new curses, then I help you go back home."
So that's how it went. Ranma and Genma spent the next few days at the Jusenkyo Guide's cabin getting used to their new curses, since the Guide didn't like boiling a new pot of clean drinking water every few hours. They, of course, helped out, or rather Ranma helped out while Genma lazed around in his panda form. One day, while Panda Genma was out looking for firewood elsewhere, a bandana-wearing boy was walking around the cliffside. As Panda Genma collected firewood, he found a dried-up tree root that could work well. He pulled it out, and in doing so, he caused part of the cliff to crack, which, although it did not affect him, triggered a rockslide elsewhere on the cliffside. The bandana-wearing boy walking around lost on the cliffside can feel the incoming rockslide. He tries to run away and ends up falling off the cliff, rolling down into Jusenkyo, and falling into a Cursed Spring. Ryoga emerges as a small black baby piglet, one that begins to wander about.
Ranma had been out exploring when she, physically, he, right now, found someone strange, a Traveling Trader of odd and mystical artifacts. They talk, and she convinces him to come back with her to the Jusenkyo Guide's cabin.
Back with the wandering piglet, it is found by Panda Genma and brought back to the cabin as the Jusenkyo Guide began preparing to cook.
"What you got there, Honored Guest?"
Genma showed him the piglet.
"Oh, piglet. I can make boiled pork stew. You know, piglet here remind me of tale of black piglet that drowned 1200 years ago. Ha ha, maybe this piglet someone who fell into Heitowennīchuan."
Piglet Ryoga shakes his head, but the Guide doesn't see it, so he is dropped into the boiling stew. A few seconds later, Ryoga reemerges as a human, naked, with his body red from the boiling water. He quickly runs away, leaving the Guide and Genma sad that there will be no food. Their sadness is cut short when Ranma returns with the Traveling Trader.
"I'm back. Pops, get out here. I think I found someone who can help with the curse."
Genma speeds out of the cabin towards Ranma and the Traveling Trader.
"Whoa, a panda?"
"For now, he fell into one of the Jusenkyo Springs."
"A Jusenkyo Curse, bad luck, man, but you'll have to be a real kind of idiot to fall into one of those."
"Do you have anything that can fix us?" said Ranma, trying to contain her anger at the insults the Traveling Trader had said.
"Hmm…let's see. I do have this; it was a hassle to get from the Musk, but it's mine now. The Pail of Preservation; it is said that it locks one's form. What do you say, want it?"
"Locks one's form, that could work, but how about a test?"
"Sure, who's first?"
"Me," said Genma, wet from the hot water he poured on himself.
Pushing Ranma aside, he waits as the Traveling Trader splashes him with water from the Pail, only he turns back into a panda.
"Hey, what gives? He turned back into a panda."
Genma attempted to turn himself back with hot water, only it did nothing. He panics as he runs inside to get the boiling stew, pouring it over him, and still nothing. Finding a nearby sign and marker, he grabs it: "What's going on? Why can't I change back?"
"Well, the Pail of Preservation is said to only lock the cursed form."
"Why didn't you say that. I almost used it on myself," said Ranma.
"Well, you didn't ask. Now, do you want it or not?"
"Can it fix Pops?"
"No, you need a different item for that."
"Then hand it over," said Ranma, grabbing the Traveling Trader.
"I don't have it with me."
Ranma lets go as the Traveling Trader runs away.
"Ha. Sorry, Pops."
Genma growls as he is now unable to speak.
"Honored Guests, is now bad time to say I help you go back home?"
So Ranma and Genma packed what little things they had and, with the help of the Jusenkyo Guide, traveled, avoiding the dangerous or off-limits areas, they went from village to village on their way back to the seaport. One village they stop by is Joketsuzoku, also known as the Village of the Chinese Amazons to outsiders. Arriving at Joketsuzoku, Ranma and Genma are exhausted from nonstop travel with little food, so when they were given a break by the Guide, their first instinct was to find food.
"Honored Guests, this is Joketsuzoku. We lucky come during their Village Tournament. Best fighter of village wins big prize of exotic foods."
"Yeah, you said it, good food with good entertainment," said Ranma, chewing on something.
"Umm, Honored Guests, what you doing there?" said the Jusenkyo Guide as he saw Ranma and Panda Genma eating the various food on the victory table.
Their actions soon gathered the attention of the Joketsuzoku Amazons. The would-be winner of the exotic food, a beautiful purple-haired warrior woman, looks at the culprits: a boy and his panda. At first, she was upset that her prize was eaten, but after one good look at the boy who did it, her expression changed to one of intrigue. She walks up to question him.
"Wèishéme yào chī Shan Pu jiǎngpǐn?"
"Huh?"
"She said, why you eat her prize?"
"What? I didn't know, I thought it was free. Maybe Pops could help." Ranma looks over and sees Genma rolling around pretending to be asleep to avoid consequences.
"Wǒ xiàng nǐ tiǎozhàn."
"She said she challenges you."
"A challenge? I accept. I hope this way I don't have to pay for the food I ate."
Ranma and the purple-haired warrior woman, Shampu, step up to the log platform for their duel as all the Joketsuzoku Amazons watch. The purple-haired warrior woman held her chui as Ranma stood ready to fight, adjusting her position since she was not used to fighting with her new male form. Charging toward Ranma with her chui in her hands, Ranma jumps and lands behind the purple-haired warrior woman. She quickly turns to strike at Ranma, but Ranma defends herself with a kick, knocking Shampu back, then with another kick, knocking one of the chui out of Shampu's hand. The chui flew up and then landed back down, hitting Shampu on the head, knocking her off the wooden log onto the ground. As Ranma won, the crowd of Joketsuzoku Amazons cheered, while the Guide had a concerned look on his face.
Shampu got up and walked towards Ranma to congratulate him on his victory: "Nǐ yíngle. Am Shampu. Shénme shì name?"
"My name? I'm Ran…" before Ranma could finish, she was cut off by Shampu wrapping her arms around male form Ranma's neck and kissing Ranma on the lips.
"Wǒ ài nǐ, Ran."
"Wha…What just happened?"
"Honored Guest, it seems you accidentally engaged young Joketsuzoku girl here, by defeating her in combat. Joketsuzoku has many traditions like that."
"Engaged to, but I can't marry her, I'm a girl."
"Sorry, Honored Guest, is their laws."
"Pops?"
Genma contemplated what to do; on one hand, life in a village like this wouldn't be bad, but on the other hand, he cared for his daughter and didn't want to see her trapped here, and he already had a place and possible suitor(s) lined up for her. So he thought up one of his best plans yet. He sprang up, grabbed Ranma, and ran away alongside the Jusenkyo Guide.
"Airen! No go." Shampu then gathers her items: her chui and some spare clothes, and gives way to her pursuit of Ranma.
Genma, Ranma, and Jusenkyo Guide ran far, temporarily losing Shampu, but not for long as she searched for their trail. Soon, the three would be outside the Joketsuzoku area. Once they leave the Bayankala Mountains region, the Guide stays behind and wishes the father and daughter, now panda and boy, luck.
"Honored Guests, this as far as I go. You no longer in dangerous region. Now can travel back that way to seaport. Best luck and hope you find cure."
"Well, what now, Pops?"
Panda Genma grabs a sign and writes on it: "We head back to Japan."
"What about a cure?"
"Well, it didn't work for me," said Genma's sign.
"What about me? I don't want to keep changing into this form."
"It might not be so bad, could even be useful when we get back to Japan. Since I don't know what Tendo had," wrote Genma.
"What are you talking about. You can go back, but I want to find a way to undo this curse."
As the two argued, the battle cry of a hunting purple-haired warrior woman searching for her new, elusive husband to be: "Airen. Nǐ qù nǎlǐ."
"Eh! Well, maybe we should stay together. Let's get out of here."
The Panda and the boy ran away, and for the next few days, they ran across China, hiding from Shampu, while also trying to find anything that could help cure their curses. However, as both traveled, getting closer to the seaport, being only a day or so away, Ranma came across someone familiar. While the Panda Genma slept, Ranma scanned the surroundings for anything useful and to avoid being found by Shampu, that's when Ranma saw him: the Traveling Trader, with a cart full of artifacts and trinkets all possessing mystical properties.
Ranma emerges from where she was hiding to confront the Traveling Trader: "Hey, you!"
"A customer? Wait, oh no, it's you."
"Yeah. I see you got more items now. Anything for Jusenkyo Curses, this time, tell me what they do before the sales pitch."
"Sure…you're already familiar with the Pail of Preservation, it locks anyone in their cursed form. Here is its counterpart, the Kettle of Liberation. It was troublesome for me to acquire, but it can unlock anyone locked by the Pail."
"Hmm…that could be helpful for Pops. Anything else?"
"I have soaps, mirrors, tailsmens, fishing rods, swimsuits, but for you, I think this one would work well enough." The Traveling Trader then pulls out a rectangular-like item with a handle and a circular opening at its center: "This is the Casket of Inversion, thought to be long lost to time. Luckily, I found what appears to be a recreation of it. With this, any Jusenkyo Curse can be inverted, so cold water triggers the base form and hot water the cursed form."
"That's it, I'll take it."
"How much do you have?"
"Oh? Umm…none."
"Then why should I give it to you, plus you and your panda of a father still owe me from the Pail?"
"I could just take it from you."
"I'm standing next to a cart of mystical items. Are you sure that's a good idea?"
Ranma saw that the Traveling Trader was grabbing onto the Pail of Preservation: "Alright, listen, me and Pops are broke right now. But we are heading back to Japan, we got family there, and Pops has an old friend he wants me to meet. If you could let us use the Casket and Kettle now, we'll pay you back in Japan. What do'ja say?"
"Hmm? I was planning on heading across the sea. Alright, I'll take you up on that offer, but it'll cost you double once you're back in Japan."
"Eh…I can work with that. Deal."
"Good, now should I follow you to where your panda is, or do you bring him to me?"
"Actually, first, use the Casket on me."
"Okay, no loss on my part."
The Traveling Trader grabs the Casket of Inversion, opening it to use on Ranma. While not that far away from where they are, up in the trees, the purple-haired warrior woman, Shampu, watched. She watched as the Traveling Trader poured the water from the Casket onto Ranma, and Ranma shifted from her male form back to her normal short red-haired birth form. Shampu was shocked by what she saw, thinking that her airen had been sealed away. She then cried out, getting the attention of Ranma and the Traveling Trader: "Shampu, free Ran!"
"What? Oh no, Shampu."
"Not again."
"Hey, where are you going?"
"You're trouble for my business. I inverted your curse; that much is done. When I find you again, you'd better have my dues." The Traveling Trader ran away, taking the Casket, but leaving the Kettle behind. But Ranma didn't stick around to pick it up as he ran away from Shampu.
The Traveling Trader fled with all his items, while Ranma ran back into the forest and found her father still asleep like she had left him. Shampu, lands where Ranma was, and follows her trail until it gets into the forest, where it would be hard to track. Ranma is quick to wake her father so that they can run away.
"Did you find hot water?" said Genma's sign.
"I'll explain later. We have to go, Shampu is nearby."
The two picked up their campsite and, through the cover of the forest, made it far away from where they were. Luckily, they are not that far from the seaport, arriving at a town where they can stay the night, as well as gather supplies for their return trip to Japan. Now is when Ranma decides to tell Panda Genma about the mystical items that she doesn't have with her, but still needs to pay for. Ranma told Genma how she inverted her curse and even showed him by pouring water over her head. Then, as she told Genma about the Kettle, it was only then that Ranma realized that she didn't have it.
"Uhh…sorry, Pops, I had the Kettle, must've dropped it when Shampu appeared."
Genma wrote on his sign: "That's okay. If we see this guy again. I'll talk him into a deal; he wouldn't refuse."
"So what are you writing there?"
"Postcard letters, to send to the Tendos to tell Soun that we are coming, and one to Nodoka to tell her your training is almost done," said Genma's sign.
"Really?"
"Yes. I think I have taught you all that you need to know." Genma flipped over his sign.
Once Genma finished writing his postcard letters, he walked around the town and found a place where he could mail them back to Japan. The shop workers didn't ask for money, as the sight of a panda trying to mail a letter to another country was amusing, so they humored the panda and mailed the postcard letters. Genma then returned to Ranma.
"With that mailed, it should arrive a day before we do to the Tendos," wrote Genma.
"So what's up with this friend of yours? Why do I gotta meet him?"
"I'll tell you when we get there," said Genma's sign.
Ranma and Genma then sleep for the night, as in the morning they would finish up their journey, reaching the seaport and traveling back to Japan. As they do, it wouldn't be long before a purple-haired warrior woman and a yellow-wearing fang-toothed boy similarly planned to cross the sea to Japan in search of the same person. Only their paths won't cross for a while.
Elsewhere in China, an older short woman wearing green and red walks around with her cane in search of someone: "Now, now. I get back to the village after a trip and am told my great-granddaughter ran away in search of some boy."
This old woman stumbled across the Kettle in the ground: "What's this? It can't be, the Kettle of Liberation? Why is a long-sealed Musk treasure here? No good can come from leaving it here," she said as she picked it up and placed it in her robes.
She continues her search and eventually winds up at the seaport. She pieces together that her great-granddaughter crossed the sea in search of this boy: "That Shampu. He must be worth all this trouble, but I can only see you coming back two ways successfully, or defeated. I hate to see how that blind fool will react to either. I shall wait and see the outcome."