                                Cat Fist Fury

Disclaimer: Well if you've already read this far into the story, then
you're just as deep as I am.

< >: Thoughts

[" "]: Cat language

                                 Chapter 22

                        Training's End and New Trials

In the hospital bed, Happosai, formally the grandmaster and founder of the
Anything Goes School of Martial Arts, now a battered and mangled mess of
his former self, slowly opened his eyes to the blurry images of some people
standing in front of him. He winced as his head throbbed and the pain of
his many injuries came to him. He wondered why he could not feel anything
below his midback, as he looked down and saw that he was in a total body
cast. He looked back up and finally his vision cleared. He saw the entire
Tendo family and Genma were standing at the foot of his bed. The Tendo
girls all had varied expressions on their faces as they looked at him with
apprehension and shock. Soun leaned forward and asked in a trembling voice.

"M-Master... are you all right?"

Happosai then began recalling his last few moments before finding himself
bedridden and then winced. He sadly shook his head as much as the body cast
would allow him and replied in a quiet whisper. "Soun... Genma... I...
can't feel my legs."

Genma winced as he gave his perverted sensei the news. "Dr. Tofu told us
that... your spine had been severed in four places. He said... that you'll
never walk again."

Happosai bit down and fought the urge to cry out. He then took a deep
breath as he recalled the fight between Ryoga and White Claw. He then said
in a sad, yet resigned voice. "I thought as much."

"The doctor told us that Ryoga had attacked you and..."

"No Genma." Happosai cut him off. "It wasn't Ryoga that did this to me.
Though he is now in possession of the Neko Ken, and he did inflict some of
my injuries, he wasn't the one who crippled me."

"Then who...?" Soun asked, though he and the others had a feeling as to who
it was.

"It was... White Claw."

Flashback...

Happosai was dodging for his life as a maddened Ryoga continually leapt and
pounced on him, despite the grievous injuries from his battle with the
kohlinjar. The perverted master bit down to keep from screaming as several
of Ryoga's ki-powered slashes hit home on his chest and arms. The lecher
knew that he was in big trouble and took out something to distract the
cat-boy.

Ryoga suddenly forgot his rage against the one who had inflicted the
torture of the Neko Ken training on him. As soon as he saw the ball of
yarn, he began playing with it. Then the ball suddenly exploded and Ryoga
was sent flying. He hit a nearby wall hard and was rendered unconscious.
The blow to the head, plus all of his previous injuries, was enough to
render the feral boy inanimate. However, Happosai wasn't given a moment to
rest after throwing the disguised fuse bomb. A white blur was suddenly upon
him and was delivering punches, kicks and slashes with inhuman speed.

Happosai felt the bones in his body snap like matchsticks. He felt burning
sensations over several areas of his body as his flesh was ripped apart.
Though the mauling only took a few seconds, the pervert thought that it
lasted an eternity as he was pummeled, slashed and mangled to the point of
him wishing for death. Then, as suddenly as the attack had began, it had
stopped and Happosai found himself dangling by the scuff of his neck. He
felt wooziness from the massive blood loss and his body was just now
registering the intense pain of the beating. He was barely conscious as he
looked at the feral face of White Claw, who smirked at him.

"Happosai, do you know that teaching the flawed Neko Ken to anyone is
punishable by death?"

At this point in time, Happosai would have welcomed death's embrace.

White Claw's smirk became even more pronounced. "Oh no. You don't get off
THAT easy. You have proven to be quite amusing and your suffering is too
entertaining to let you go so soon. Therefore, I'm going to prolong it and
CUT YOU one last break."

With these words, he tossed Happosai's limp body up into the air and
delivered the unkindest cut of all.

Happosai blacked out as he felt searing pain in his back.

End of Flashback...

The Tendos and Genma were all in silent shock after Happosai finished his
story. They found that they couldn't get their voices to speak as Happosai
gave off another sad sigh.

"Genma... Soun... it saddens me to say this. With the dojo's sign gone and
myself like this... I'm afraid that we must face facts. It's over."

"No Master!" Soun said, with all the desperation of a drowning man. "We can
still get the sign back if Ranma..."

"Do not keep grasping at straws, Soun." Happosai said a bit forcefully.
"You and Genma must now admit to the truth. The School of the Anything Goes
Martial Arts... is dead."

Meanwhile, at Tung Kwai's temple in China...

"So how long have you and Kojiro know each other?" The Shaolin priest asked
Ukyo as he handed her a cup of tea.

"Back then when we were six, I knew him as Ranma Saotome." Ukyo replied as
she took a sip. "Had he told you much about me?"

"Yes, I recall him telling me about how his idiot father had stolen your
dowry and left you on the side of the road." Tung frowned at the thought of
anyone who was dishonorable enough to steal a young girl's dowry after
promising his son to her. "I must say, you seem very calm in talking about
it. I would have imagined that you would still be holding a grudge."

"I was angry about it for ten years." Ukyo admitted. "But now that
Ran-chan, I mean Ko-chan and I are together again, I have nothing to be
angry about. He belongs to me and I'm not going to let anyone take him away
from me again! Not those Amazon hussies, not those other fiances, and
especially not Akane Tendo!"

"Yes, I recall Kojiro mentioning that his father is trying to force him
into an engagement to this girl. I also recall that he isn't too fond of
her and her behavior toward him and other boys."

Ukyo nodded. "When I went to settle things with Ko-Chan's father, I found
out about the engagement. If you ask me, she doesn't deserve him! She
called him a freak! Well if she doesn't want him, then I'll gladly take
him! Ko-chan deserves a lot better than her and I'm sure that I can make
him the happiest!" 

Tung judged by the tone of ver voice that she had some special hostility
toward the youngest daughter of Soun Tendo. Ranma had told the head priest
of his problems in Nerima. "Ah, well your loyalty to Ranma, I mean Kojiro
is admirable, but I fear that he will not respond well to you if your
possessiveness gets to him."

"What do you mean? He's my fiance and"

Tung held up a hand and said. "I'm not arguing that you have a valid claim,
but you must take into consideration a few things. First of all, Kojiro no
longer uses the name of Ranma Saotome, so all engagements and promises that
were made in his name may not apply."

Ukyo became silent at this. She had not considered this. She had been so
happy at finding her Ran-chan again and all the time they spent together,
that she had assumed that the engagement between them was still valid.

Tung nodded as he continued. "The second thing you must consider is the
fact that Kojiro is much like the tiger that he transforms into. He is a
wild and free spirit and may see your possessiveness as restricting. Has he
ever told you this?"

"Well, yes..." Ukyo recalled all the times Ranma had been uneasy, whenever
she mentioned the engagement. She now regretted blurting it out to his
friends. She now understood why he was so angry at the Amazons for
constantly chasing him and treating him like a trophy. Was she getting just
too over-possessive and treating him like property?

Tung nodded as he saw Ukyo rethink things. "Exactly. Kojiro cherishes his
freedom and it wouldn't do to force something onto him without allowing him
to adjust. I'll give you some advice. Give him some space and don't keep
reminding him about the engagement. Just enjoy the time you have with him.
He must be growing fond of you if he is willing to spend time with you,
right?"

Ukyo slowly nodded.

"You see?" The priest said. "And in any case, you still have the advantage
over those other girls, because you happen to be Kojiro's oldest friend.
You know him and understand his feelings. Now it is said, that being
friends is a very good foundation to a relationship. You can take your
time. There is no real hurry to get married, is there?"

"Well, no not really." Ukyo admitted.

"So what's the rush? Kojiro will always care for you. That much we can both
be certain of. It's just that right now, he has other more pressing matters
to deal with and he needs to train in the True Cat Fist in order to do so."

"I guess." Ukyo said with a shrug. "So how long will it be before Ko-Chan
masters the True Neko Ken?"

"That is all up to him." Tung replied. "As for where he is, only Kami-sama
knows."

At that moment...

"SABER SLASH KICK!"

Ranma did a somersault kick, which created a crescent wave of energy from
his foot. The attack cut a massive granite boulder in half as it went
diagonally upward. As he landed on his feet, the Cat Fist Fighter smiled at
his handiwork. The new attack added to his growing arsenal of techniques.
With the help of Felicia, Ranma had been able to add new aerial maneuvers,
stemming from his Anything Goes training, plus a few kicking moves. He had
also made up some new claw techniques as well. For the last few days, he
had remained in his hybrid form and was now getting used to the extra mass
and height. His bare chest was exposed to daylight. His shirt had long
since been torn apart during the training and his pants were now cut off
above the knees. He wore no shoes.

"Not bad Kojiro." Felicia said as she approached him from behind.

"Thanks." Ranma replied as he stretched out a bit to relieve the kinks in
legs. "I figured that I could do a kicking version of my Crescent Slash
attack."

"I can see that."

"Hey, check this out! RISING SLASH KICK!"

Ranma suddenly did a handspring and went shooting up like a rocket,
upside-down alongside a tall tree. One leg was bent, while the other was
extended with the foot glowing with the same energy as he had when using
the Rip Claw technique. His foot ripped across the length of the trunk, and
when he flipped over to land on his feet, the entire tree spilt in half.
Each side crashed to the ground.

"Very nice. That looked like your Rising Claw move, but upside-down."
Felicia commented.

"Yeah, I got inspired after remembering some guy I met in Hong Kong."

"Who was he?"

"His name was Terry Bogard. I saw him use some move he called the Rising
Tackle, so I figured that I could do the same with my own modifications."

"Very impressive. You've come a long way Kojiro. But now it is time for you
to complete your training in the Neko Ken. Let me ask you something. Do you
remember that final attack that White Claw used on you?"

"Not really." Ranma admitted. "From what I can remember, it was some kind
of white blur and it kind of looked like some ghost cat. I started feeling
something slashing through me, but I couldn't see what it was."

Felicia nodded as she suddenly tensed up and her hair began to change
color.

"Please help me!"

Before Ranma knew it, four ghostly versions of Felicia suddenly appeared
from nowhere and attacked him at once. The Cat Fist fighter was pummeled
and slashed from all sides, but managed to endure the brunt of the attack.
He was still standing when the ghost figures finished with their assault
and vanished. However, a moment later, he pitched forward and fell flat on
his face.

"Ow, ow, ow! W-What the hell was that?" Ranma staggered back to his feet
and winced as the pain from the many cuts and bruises made his whole body
throb. Though his powers allowed him to heal quickly, it still hurt like
the dickens! Also, he had a feeling that Felicia had been holding back.

Felicia smiled at him and replied. "Like the Felinar, my people were taught
the secrets of the Neko Ken by Bastet. What you saw was the ultimate
expression of the Cat Spirit within all practitioners of the Neko Ken."

"The Cat Spirit within?"
"How do I explain it best? Hmmm." The cat-woman held her chin and turned
around. Her tail twitched a bit before she faced Ranma again. "Let me put
it to you this way. When someone actually gains a foothold in the basic
principles of the Neko Ken, they become spiritually connected to all things
that are feline, including Bastet and Sekhmet. You know, the other cat
goddess?"

"You mean, like some kind of possession, like in the Exorcist?" Ranma
asked. 

Felicia shrugged a little. "In a way. When you were taught the Neko Ken
incorrectly, your connection to cats became like a possession, which was
triggered whenever your fear of cats went too far. However, now that you
are a Felinar, your connection became more or less stabilized. Your fear of
cats disappeared, but not your urges to express catlike behavior. In fact,
you were actively trying to suppress those feelings. That was what was
causing you to go into those battle rages. Now the training you received so
far has helped you accept those feline emotions as your own. They're a part
of you now and it is time that you learned how to draw out the ultimate
power of the Neko Ken from within."

"Is this that Cat Spirit you were talking about?"

"Exactly. Now my people and the Felinar have developed different methods on
how to draw out the essence of the Neko Ken. What you saw was a multiple
division of my inner Cat Spirit. It's not quite as powerful as White
Claw's, though I was holding back. My technique does have the advantage of
hitting several targets at once or can be concentrated on one target."
"Cool!" Ranma said, then remembered back to when he fought White Claw. His
memory began to clear as he saw himself being hit by a huge ghostly shape
that looked like him as a saber-toothed tiger. He then recalled his body
being slashed as he was enveloped by the attack and sent reeling. He
recalled what White Claw called the attack: Cat Fist Fury.

"Ah. So now you remember." Felicia said as she gazed at Ranma, who was in
deep thought. "The Felinar clan's ultimate attack, the Cat Fist Fury. I've
heard of it. If you managed to survive that, then White Claw must have been
holding back. The next time however, I'm certain that he won't."

"Will you teach me how to do your final move?" Ranma asked.

Felicia sighed and shook her head. "I can't. My Cat Spirit attack is based
partly in magic, since my people are of a magical race. We are very similar
to werewolves and other lycanthropes. The Felinar are human and base their
Cat Spirit attacks on chi. It might be possible for you to duplicate White
Claw's attack, but you will have to discover how to do so on your own, or
create your own Cat Spirit technique."
"How am I supposed to do that if I don't even know how to draw out the Cat
Spirit in me?" Ranma asked.

Felicia smirked as she responded. "Bastet will take care of that. In fact,
you are now ready for the final part of your training. Your sessions with
me are now over."

As she said these words, the portal to the dimensional interface appeared
beside her. The cat-woman gestured to it and then walked up to him. "It has
been a pleasure working with you, Kojiro. Now Bastet awaits."
"Will I ever see you again?"

Felicia shrugged and smiled. "If you're ever in Las Vegas, look me up. I've
got a great show called Felicia's Follies. I will be there when you face
White Claw again, though I am forbidden to lend you any aid."

"That's okay. You've taught me a lot, so just leave that bastard up to me!"

Felicia gave a contented purr and leaned forward. She stood on her tiptoes
to give Ranma a friendly peck on the cheek, then nuzzled his furred,
muscular chest before stepping back. In a flash, Ranma stepped through the
portal and was gone.

In the dimensional interface

"Well done my avatarrr." Bastet purred. "And now you must bring out the Cat
Spirit from within if you are to defeat White Claw."

Ranma nodded. "Felicia told me all about it. So how do I do this?"
The Cat Goddess began chanting some words as she closed her eyes. All of a
sudden, everything turned totally white as Ranma found himself in a void of
nothingness. He was standing, yet he could see no ground. It was then that
he heard Bastet's voice in his head.

"In orderrr for you to bring out your Cat essence, you must have a clearrr
mind and no distractions. The new techniques you had created are excellent,
but they will mean nothing if you cannot access your other self. Embrace
yourrr Cat Spirit and bring it forth! Now mediate!"

Ranma nodded as he sat down in a lotus position and began to clear his
mind.

Back in Japan

Happosai sighed as he lay in his hospital bed. The Tendos and Genma had
long since gone home and he was now alone. Since his last visit to the
hospital after being mauled by Ranma, the female nurses refused to come
within twenty meters of his room. As a result, only male orderlies, aged
cleaning women and male doctors would come to check up on him. The ancient
lecher was denied contact with anything pertaining to a female. This was
strictly enforced as his last visit had caused such a ruckus that nearly
half of the female staff quit. The hospital had just managed to hire new
replacements and they were not going to give the old pervert any chance to
make things rough for their nurses or the rest of their patients. As a
result, Happosai was forced on the agonizingly slow road to recovery.
Though groping and fondling panties and women's bodies would have speeded
up the healing of most of his injuries, they would not be able to repair
the most critical damage to his body. No amount of women's underwear or
female flesh could ever mend a severed spine. When Happosai finally exited
this hospital, it would be in a wheelchair.

Happosai knew that. He now cursed White Claw with a vengeance and rued the
day he had ever crossed paths with the Felinar Clan. He could no longer
enjoy his perversions as before and he was now a pitiful shell of the great
martial arts master.

"It hurts, doesn't it?"

Happosai was surprised to hear a voice in his room and looked over to a
now-open window. There was White Claw, in his human form, sitting on the
windowsill and smiling at him.

"YOU!" Happosai spat out. If he had been capable of doing so, he would have
blasted the kohlinjar with a chi bolt. Unfortunately, he was far too weak
to do it, so he had to settle for glaring at him.

"Yes, me!" The Felinar chuckled as he hopped off his perch and leaned
forward toward his crippled opponent. His hands were behind his back. "My,
those doctors must have worked overtime to put you back together. So how is
the 'great' founding master of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts,
hmm?" White Claw's tone of voice had just the right amount of mockery to
make Happosai fume with rage.

"CURSE YOU!" The ancient master tried to move, but since his legs were
rendered inoperative, and the fact that he was in a body cast, he was
unable to move a single millimeter.

White Claw shrugged as he turned his back to him. "Well, considering your
present condition, cursing me is the ONLY weapon that you have now. Not
that you had anything to use against the Felinar, or me in the past. In any
case, you really have no one to blame for your current state but yourself.
You were idiotic enough to train that Ryoga boy in the Neko Ken. Now as I
said before, training an outsider in our clan's fighting style is
punishable by death! However, I think that would be too good for you!
Therefore, I had spared your miserable life and rendered your legs useless.
This punishment will be far more suitable, don't you think?"

"W-W-What do you mean?" Happosai did not like the way White Claw was
grinning evilly at him.

"Just how many enemies have you made over the last three centuries, hmm?
All those stores you had run out of and not paying the bill? How many
things had you stolen?"

Happosai began to sweat. He had not truly realized how many enemies he had
accumulated over the last three hundred years.

"White Claw nodded as he continued. "How many people hold long-standing
grudges against you? I must say, that the list of people that are out for
your blood is quite extensive! Now you can no longer RUN! And your martial
arts skills have been severely reduced! You can't effectively grope women
or steal their underwear to recharge your power, now can you? Without your
legs, you cannot go on your panty raids, now can you? How are you going to
escape from bad situations, hmm? I'm certain that those Amazons would LOVE
to hear that their most HATED enemy is no longer able to withstand their
fury! And from I heard, Amazon torture methods are quite excruciating!"

Happosai wanted to find a really big rock to hide under. Or perhaps lock
himself back into that cave that Soun and Genma had sealed him in ten years
ago.

White Claw then snapped his fingers. "Oh yes! I recall that Pantyhose Tarou
is still after you to change his name. Now that you are helpless, what is
to stop him from BEATING the hell out of you? Provided of course, that you
are still alive by the time he reaches you."

By this time, Happosai's morale had hit rock bottom as he realized the real
reason why the kohlinjar had allowed him to live. He was going to utterly
humiliate him and have the old lecher suffer for his amusement. The master
of the Anything Goes recalled when he had done the same with Soun and
Genma, when they dared to defy him. He had made them work and slave for him
whenever he would run off without paying his tab. He would make them take
the blame for whatever crimes he committed. When the ancient pervert came
to Soun's home, the Tendo patriarch had initially tried to protest, but
Happosai easily forced his way into his home. He doodled on his home's
walls, called massive takeout orders and leaving the bills for Soun to pay,
and caused massive damage to the house and dojo. It didn't take much to put
Genma under his thumb when he arrived. The panda went into his Crouch of
the White Tiger in less than a day. Now, White Claw was dealing out his own
form of poetic justice.

"Oh yes. I just thought of something." White Claw said in his most taunting
voice. "Those two idiots that you trained are in shock right now, since I
still have their dojo's sign and that you were their best chance to get it
back. Now they WILL realize that they no longer have to FEAR you. Now, do
you think they will forget all the HELL you put them through, hmm?"

Happosai hit the bottom of despair. Genma and Soun were very petty and
being beaten by those two morons would be the final insult.

"Well, now that I've said what I came here to say, I'll be going now."
White Claw shrugged as he moved toward the window. He looked over his
shoulder and shifted to his hybrid form. "I'll be enjoying all the
amusement that you will provide for me as you squirm for your life!"

The kohlinjar let off a hoot of laughter as he jumped out the window,
leaving Happosai to think about his future, which was very bleak at the
moment. And so, the founding master of the Anything Goes School of Martial
Arts cried, making Soun's emotional waterworks seem like a minor leaky
faucet.

Back in the dimensional interface, Ranma was close. He was so close in
achieving his goal that he could taste it. His aura glowed with a pure,
reddish-black hue as it continued to grow. Ranma was sweating profusely as
he channeled all of his concentration into the depths of his being, seeking
out that elusive Cat Spirit within him. His breathing was at first steady,
but began increasing its pace rapidly. Finally, after what seemed to be an
eternity, he let off a roar and his aura became the purest black. The power
took shape and superimposed itself over him in the form of his
saber-toothed tiger body. Ranma looked at himself in awe and saw his Cat
Spirit looking back at him, before fading into his body again.

"Well done, my avatarrr. And now Red Fang awaits to give you your final
lesson!"

"Red Fang?" Ranma had almost forgotten about the old Felinar.

"Yes. He shall instruct you on what you will require and explain some
otherrr things as well. Go forth my avatarrr, for I shall be with you."

In that instant, Ranma found himself in his human form and outside of the
cave, in which he entered weeks ago. There, sitting on a large rock was Red
Fang.

The old Felinar had gone home after Ranma had entered the cave and had
returned early this morning. He nodded as he assessed Ranma's power. "So,
you have completed the Rite of Passage, the Neko Ken training and I can see
that you have been chosen as Bast's avatar. Excellent!"

"How did you know that?" Ranma asked.

"Look on your right shoulder." Red Fang pointed.

Ranma did so and saw something imprinted on his skin like a tattoo. It was
a small, red silhouette of a large, predatory cat getting set to pounce.

Red Fang gestured Ranma to sit on another rock. As the Cat Fist Fighter sat
down, the old Felinar took a deep breath and then spoke.

"Before we begin Kojiro, you must know of a few things about White Claw and
the Felinar."

"Go ahead." Ranma replied.

Red Fang nodded. "The Felinar have engaged in several dark acts over the
last few centuries. Many clans have become dissatisfied with engaging in
crime and hunting down poor souls who were unfortunate enough to learn the
flawed Neko Ken. We would have preferred curing them as I had done with
Tung Kwai, and perhaps inducting them into our clans to infuse new blood.
We also wish to be more public as the werewolves, and other lycanthropes
have done in America. Our clan has been secluded long enough and it is time
for change. However, White Claw's clan is also the head of our race and he
has many followers. As kohlinjar, he holds great authority and power. Even
some members of the High Council have found his ways to be destructive and
not beneficial for the whole of the Felinar. He enjoys bringing suffering
to others for his amusement."

"If he's so bad, then why don't you just remove or something?" Ranma asked.

"It is not as easy as you say." Red Fang said. "As I mentioned before, he
has many followers and only SOME members of the High Council disagree with
him. The majority still supports him, most of them out of duty and
tradition. Furthermore, he is the strongest warrior that the Felinar have
ever produced. We can do nothing unless he is removed from his position by
a Combat Challenge. Once he has been defeated, a new kohlinjar may be
selected."

Ranma didn't like the sound of where this is going. "So are you telling
me?"

Red Fang nodded. "You are quite possibly our best and only hope to beat
White Claw. I can see that you have the power to equal or overpower his. I
am asking you to aid us."

"Hey wait a minute! I went through the training to get control and get back
at White Claw. Don't get me involved in any political stuff! Why can't you
do something about it?"

"I would if I could. However, I had been exiled from the Felinar after
openly speaking out against him. I am not allowed to challenge him. Like it
or not, Kojiro, you are already involved!" Red Fang mouth became a firm
line. "You have admitted that you are a Felinar! Despite that, White Claw
will still seek you out and kill you! The only reason why you are still
alive is that he wanted a greater challenge. That is why he allowed you
some time alone to train, though he knows nothing of your becoming Bastet's
avatar or completing the Rite of Passage. And also think of this. You have
not heard of what is happening in Japan, have you?"
"Well no."

"Well, he is making quite a bit of mayhem for the Tendo family and a few
others. Now I have heard that you do not care much for them, but how long
will it be before he turns his attention on your friends and loved ones? He
wouldn't hesitate to put any of them in danger to get at you."

Ranma became pale as he thought of Shang, Kai and the rest of his friends
in danger. Then he thought of Ukyo.

Red Fang nodded. "If you were to defeat White Claw, not only would you be
helping us, but also ensuring the safety of your friends. Isn't that enough
besides settling a personal score?"
"In other words, I don't have any choice, now do I?" Ranma asked, becoming
extremely edgy.

"I'm afraid not."

Ranma considered Red Fang's words for a long time before nodding. "All
right. I'll do it."

"Good. Now repeat after me." Red Fang instructed. "SHASH MASHA ADARI FOKAN
KOHLINJAR!"

"What?"

"SHASH MASHA ADARI FOKAN KOHLINJAR!"
"What are you talking about?" Ranma was confused.

"What I said was a challenge to the kohlinjar. It is the one phrase that
White Claw CANNOT refuse. Even though you are a Felinar, White Claw can
still deny your challenge unless you say those words."

"What does it mean?" Ranma asked.

"It is from our language and it means that you are dissatisfied with him as
kohlinjar. You can think of it as an insult and challenge. He must
therefore prove himself through combat. If he is defeated, then the High
Council will select a new kohlinjar. It is that simple. Now repeat what I
just said."

Ranma became highly suspicious of Red Fang and wondered if what he was
saying was true. However, Bastet had instructed him to listen to what the
old Felinar would say.

"Shash masha adari fokan kohlinjar."

"Excellent. Never forget that phrase." Red Fang said as he suddenly stood
up and went into a battle stance. "NOW FIGHT!"

Ranma just barely leapt out of the way as Red Fang sprang at him and
slashed the boulder he was sitting on to shards.

"What the?" The pony-tailed martial artist began evading the slashes and
kicks as the Felinar warrior attacked him without mercy. For an older man,
he still moved with inhuman speed and Ranma became hard-pressed to dodge.
After spending countless training sessions and that exhaustive procedure to
draw out his Cat Spirit, the Neko Ken fighter was tired. Red Fang had the
advantage in being nearly fresh and with more combat experience. Ranma
winced as he barely avoided most of the slashes that come his way, but when
several hit home, he knew he was in trouble.

"SHOW ME YOU CAT SPIRIT!" Red Fang roared as he delivered another series of
strikes. Ranma blocked the majority of them, but one punch hit hard in his
chest, sending him backward. That was when Red Fang switched to hybrid form
and began attacking Ranma with even more ferocity.

Seeing that he had no choice, Ranma also switched to hybrid form and began
returning Red Fang's attacks. He still found himself holding back, as he
did not want to kill him with his increased powers. The problem was that
his opponent wasn't holding back and would soon slice him to ribbons. Ranma
found himself desperately trying to find a way to defeat Red Claw without
taking his life.

He was a fraction of a second too slow to block Red Fang's next punch,
which slammed into his cheek and sent him reeling. Ranma found himself on
his knees as he saw a bright red aura suddenly flared up around Red Fang.
The aura suddenly took the shape of his tiger form and Ranma realized that
this must be his Cat Spirit.

"Behold!" Red Fang's eyes became crimson as he launched the Cat Spirit
forward while raising his arms. "CAT FIST FURY!"

The wraith suddenly charged forward, and at the same time, Red Fang's body
elongated and merged into the shape, disappearing into it. What was left
was a raging Cat Spirit with a Felinar within it. Ranma put his arms up in
an X-block and braced himself as the attack slammed into him. As it had
happened before, he could feel the energy as it cut across his body like
knives, but he held his ground, and then his aura flared up. There was a
massive explosion of chi energies and Red Fang's attack was blasted back.
The Cat Spirit was knocked down and faded away, leaving a staggered, but
still standing Red Fang. He was battered and dazed after being deflected.
Then it happened

Ranma let off a roar as his normal blue aura turned to darkest black and
took the form of his own saber-tooth tiger body.

"CAT FIST FURY!"

The dark shadow of Ranma's Cat Spirit launched forward with the fighter
within it. Red Fang knew that he would not be able to withstand it and
braced himself. 

Red Fang was driven back and his body was cut in several places as Ranma's
attack slammed into him. At that moment, Ranma's Cat Spirit began falter
and a voice was heard within it.

"NOOOOOOOO!!!!"

Instantly, the dark form faded away, leaving Ranma shaken and trembling as
the Felinar fell to the ground in a bloody heap.

"Red Fang!" Ranma caught the injured Felinar and carefully laid him down.
"Red Fang! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do that!"

Red Fang coughed a bit and smiled back at him. "It's all right, Kojiro. It
will take a lot more than that to finish off this old cat. Good thing that
you didn't go at me full force. Sorry that I attacked you like that, but
that was the only way I could have taught you the final attack of the Neko
Ken."

Red Fang then dropped off into unconsciousness from his injuries, which
panicked Ranma even more. That was when Bastet appeared beside him.

"Do not worry my avatarrr. He will be fine." The cat goddess touched a
finger on Red Fang's forehead and a warm glow appeared around his body. He
then faded away, leaving Ranma staring at his empty arms. He looked up at
Bast.

"Where did he go?"

"I sent him to a place where he will be cared for while he recoverrrrs. Do
not worry. What is important is that you know have the powerrrr to defeat
White Claw."

"So that was it? That's why we fought?"

"Indeed. In orderrr to learn the final attack, yourrr Cat Spirit must fully
immerse your physical being. When you first experienced the attack from
White Claw, yourrr Cat Spirit was deeply buried within you. You did not
understand how the technique worked. After I had helped you draw it out,
yourrr Cat Spirit learned how to do this after making contact with Red
Fang's. Now you know the true meaning of its name, Cat Fist Fury. And now,
it is time!"

To be continued

Author's notes

Well it's been a while, but the latest chapter is finished. Next chapter,
we shall see Ranma's return to Japan and his reunion with Ukyo as well as
more trouble being stirred up by White Claw.


