Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Ranma ½ or Dragon Ball (Or Z or GT for that matter). They were created by Rumiko Takahashi and Akira Toriyama respectively. Don't sue me, man. Can't we all just get along?

The Story Thus Far: Saotome Ranma came to the World of Dragon Balls in a training accident and sought the power of Shenlong, the Dragon God, to return home. After meeting new friends and rivals and having several adventures he was wished back home, but soon returned to rescue his friend Kuonji Ukyo who was banished to the other world by his father. Vowing to remain here from now on he joined his best friend Son Goku to train under the tutelage of the Muten Roshi with the goal of winning the 21st Tenka'ichi Budōkai, a proverbial tournament of dreams, and proving that he is what he's always claimed he was: the best!

Last Chapter: As the Semi-Finals moved along Ranma confronted Jackie Chun, accusing him of actually being his master Kame-Sen'nin which he technically denied but also alluded to hypothetical motivations for his entry into the tournament. Chun would go on to defeat Kuririn and qualify for the Finals while Ranma, in a hard fought battle that left him with a broken hand, barely managed to slip past Goku. Meanwhile from the sidelines Cologne continues to silently observe the situation…

Chapter 14

The Tournament of Dreams Part Four:

The Full Moon Rises!

"Yup. That's one broken hand."

Saotome Ranma simply rolled his eyes at the medical prefessonal wrapping his hand. "Really? Gee, I hadn't notice."

He was in the medical ward of the arena, seated on one of the beds, receiving much needed medical attention following his bout with Son Goku in the Semi-Finals of Tenka'ichi Budōkai. He had been granted a long break to get looked at since he had injured his hand punching the monkey tailed boy out of bounds and winning the match.

"That was amazing, Ranma," Kuririn commented as the doctor continued working on his older training mate's hand. Both he and Goku had come along with the pig tailed boy to show support. "I was completely convinced that you had a zero chance against Goku. It is shocking to me that you managed to pull a victory out of nowhere like that. Shocking! Shocking, I say."

Ranma responded by pinching the bald monk's cheek as hard as he could. "Yeah yeah, I get it already Cue-Ball."

"Sir," the doctor said seeing his patient being reckless about his health. "Please refrain from attacking other contestants while I'm attending to your wounds."

The former Saotome Heir smirked as he released his friend. "Sorry, Doc. You know how it is."

"Mr. Saotome,' the doctor continued. "I know you're eager to fight in the finals but I perhaps you're underestimating your injury."

"Just set my hand, Doc," the otherworldly fighter said in a warning tone.

Goku just grinned; he was awfully cheerful for someone who just lost a big fight.

Kuririn was a bit more somber. "I know you have your pride and all but that Jackie Chun guy is really tough. I don't know if even you can pull off a win against him."

Ranma gave a cocky smirk that did nothing to alleviate Kuririn's concerns. "Won't know 'til I try," the older boy remarked to his training mate.

"Bold words. Is it bravery or the foolishness of youth?"

The words of Jackie Chun interrupted the conversation between the young warriors. The old man was standing in the door way, his expression serious. "Would you lot mind giving Ranma and myself a few minutes?"

The doctor gave the older man a glare. "Sir, I'm trying to give this young man medical attention. I can't just get up and leave because you asked me to."

"Don't worry about it, Doc," Ranma said causally. "This shouldn't' take long."

Reluctantly the two young turtle students and the doctor left the ward leaving Ranma with his pending opponent.

The white haired Chun stroked his beard as he moved closer to the young fighter. "It would seem that congratulations are in order, Ranma. I honestly did not believe you could defeat Goku."

The pig tailed boy again rolled his eyes. "Geez, does no one have faith in my skills?"

Chun simply shrugged. "Don't misunderstand. You are an amazing fighter, but Goku possesses a wild natural instinct for fighting that I've rarely seen."

"Whatever, old man," Ranma said, only giving a minimal amount of attention. "Are you ready to admit you're the Turtle Hermit yet?"

The aged master didn't answer immediately but eventually replied "Yes. As you have already guessed I am indeed your master Muten Roshi. I would appreciate if we kept this between ourselves."

The former Saotome Heir narrowed his eyes. "You wanna run around with a wig that's your business, Old Freak. But I wanna know why you entered the tournament in the first place. Couldn't stand the thought of your own students winning the whole thing?"

The now admitted Kame-Sen'nin chuckled at that. "It's simpler than you think. I wanted to ensure that Goku and Kuririn faced defeat in order to reinforce the ultimate lesson: there's always someone stronger. Otherwise they may acquire an 'I can take on anyone' attitude and slack on their training."

"So," Ranma said with a confused look. "You not worried about me winning?"

The old man narrowed his eyes. "You already have that attitude, don't you? You're cocky, undisciplined and egomaniacal."

"And good looking," Ranma added. "What's your point?"

"My point," continued an annoyed Turtle Hermit. "Is that unlike Goku and Kuririn you are on a dangerous path. An overconfident fighter is the worst kind of marital artists there is. Even now you charge into the finals with an injury with the laughable goal of defeating me with only one good hand. Is this pride? Arrogance? You need a lesson in humility before you destroy yourself, more so than Goku or Kuririn by far. As your master it is my burden to give you this lesson."

Ranma raised an eyebrow. "Being a little dramatic, ain't ya?"

Again the aged hermit hesitated before he spoke. He hadn't planned on telling the young man this part but perhaps it would help force the point home. "When you came to me a year ago and requested to be trained along with the other two I was reluctant to agree. The reason was that I had prior experience with training three students at once. I didn't end well.

"You know by now that I trained Goku's grandfather Son Gohan as well as Gyu-Mao, but what you don't know is that there was a third student. His name was Banjo, Jr."

The pig tailed boy laughed out loud at that. "His name was 'Banjo'? Seriously?"

Kame-Sen'nin simply shrugged. "I know, I know. 'Banjo' is sort of an old hokey traditional name by today's standards."

"Yeah," Ranma muttered, sarcastically. "That's exactly what I was getting at."

"Anyway," the disguised hermit continued. "Banjo Jr. was a late addition, much like you. And also like you he was surprisingly talented and took to the training very well. However he soon became cocky. He started believing he was the greatest fighter in the world and became corrupted by those thoughts. He began to resent the others for holding him back and eventually me as well. He endangered himself and those close to him with his recklessness. I was forced to eject him from the school because he allowed his massive ego to consume him. I foresee something similar becoming of you if you don't learn modesty."

From his spot in the room Ranma had apparently turned his back on the old man, tilting his head slightly and looking extremely bored. "Huh? Sorry Old Freak I wasn't listing. We were talking about banjos?"

Whack!

"Damn it, Old Freak!"

Frustrated by the easy gong nature of his student the old man just shook his head and turned t leave. "The 'why' I entered the tournament is not important. All that matters is that I won't let you to win. That's all you need to know."

With that he left Ranma alone with his thoughts, which had taken none of the old man's words with the severity they warranted.

Back in the audience Yamcha the former bandit was fuming. When he woke up this morning he was feeling pretty good. He had a good night's sleep, had big breakfast, and was looking forward to a fun and exciting tournament. Sure life wasn't perfect; his girlfriend of the past year sometimes seemed hung up on the guy she was with before they met but hey, that guy literally wasn't on the planet anymore. No point in worrying about it.

Then he actually came to the island hosting the tournament. His day pretty much went down the toilet since he first set foot here. Ranma had not only returned, not only made it farther than him in the brackets, not only seemed to grab Bulma's attention, but he had also apparently learned his one signature move, the Wolf Fang Fist. In fact he had improved on it; where Yamcha's version was just barely enough to make Jackie Chun sweat Ranma's "Roga Hakku Ken" had managed to defeat Goku.

This was a nightmare.

Yamcha's aura of anger didn't go unnoticed. Bulma, was right beside him, took note of his scowling expression. "What's got you so pouty?" she asked.

"Saotome stole my move," he growled.

The teen genius rolled her rolls. "What? That's all? What's the big deal?"

Yamcha's expression darkened even more. "It took me years to perfect that technique. Saotome saw me use it once. Once! And he apparently not only figured out the fundamentals of it but also actually improved upon it!"

Bulma smiled unconsciously. "Yeah, I guess Ranma's a real genius when it comes to martial arts." She caught herself when she realized what she was saying. "I mean, it's not like you're a slouch in that department either."

The former bandit gave his girlfriend a questioning glance before. "Did you talk to Saotome earlier? When Goku and that bald kid went looking for you?"

The green blue haired girl paused. Then she smiled nervously. "Yeah, I saw him for a second. I wished him luck."

From the other side of Pu'ar coughed, but a look of pure hatred from Bulma kept him quiet. If Yamcha noticed he didn't say anything.

Saotome Ranma VERSUS Jackie Chun

It was sundown. A perfect time for a duel.

"Ladies and gentlemen it's the moment we've all been waiting for!"

Both Ranma and Jackie Chun found themselves staring each other down in the ring. The tension filled the arena though no one could know its depths. Master and student would normally not be fighting each other in such a capacity, but fate had led these warriors here.

"We have finally made it to the finals of the Tenka'ichi Budōkai! Both of these competitors have displayed tremendous ability in the martial arts!"

Ranma grimaced. Despite his bravado he was seriously feeling the effects of his busted right hand. However all eyes were on him and he now had the opportunity to face the strongest fighter he'd ever seen…and defeat him. It didn't matter if his hand was broken nor would it matter if all his bones were shattered: if he beat Kame-Sen'nin then he was the best in the world, no question, which was really the whole point of the training he received his whole life.

He smirked as the excitement of getting to face the man who mentored him the last year began to set in his mind. "Alright, Old Freak, let's see what ya got!"

Kame-Sen'nin was equally deep in thought. He sincerely believed that Ranma was in danger from himself. He honestly feared what the young man would do if he had the title of "Strongest Under Heaven" under his belt. Under the right circumstances the pig tailed boy could be a master, possibly even a true heir to his own school, but his arrogance had to be snuffed out now before it had a chance to fester and take over.

"I can't afford to lose," the Muten Roshi thought to himself. "Forgive me, Ranma, but I must crush your dreams in order to help you achieve even greater heights!"

"This is a battle between youth and experience! Who will win: the young upstart from the turtle school or the venerable master who has breezed through the tournament so far? The winner of this bout will be crowned the Strongest Under the Heavens!

"Fighters ready? BEGIN!"

Chun launched himself at the teenaged fighter at dizzying speed, clearly not wanting to waste any time. He whipped at Ranma with his arm, but the pig tailed boy backed away in an attempt to avoid the strike. The old man continued with a roundhouse kick as his first attack missed its mark. The extended strike forced the boy to block rather than evade, which was exactly what the Muten Roshi was counting on. Acting on a speed that most of the audience couldn't even see he struck his student with a double palm strike to his chest.

Ranma was staggered by the blow, which was one of the strongest landed in the tournament so far. In this state he seemed to be easy pickings for the Turtle Hermit he attempted to follow up this attack with a strong kick. Shockingly Ranma leapt over the old man, apparently not nearly as stunned as it first seemed. But again the old man had counted on this and quickly responded with a jumping kick that sent the mid-air Ranma out towards the audience.

The Announcer kept up his end. "It seems that the older and wiser Jackie Chun has just sent a strong message to new generation by ending this match in a ring-out early on!"

"Hmm," Chun inwardly noted as Ranma punted out of bounds. "I suppose I was worried for nothing."

Any victory speech Chun would have made was cut off by Ranma's roar of "Kamehameha!" The following explosion suggested that the pig tailed boy was attempting to return to the ring in a similar fashion as the old man upon almost meeting defeat by Kuririn in the Semi-Finals. Indeed using the ki wave the former Saotome Heir was now rapidly re-approaching the ring.

But even so the boy's master wasn't that impressed. "So it seems you've gotten better at using the Kamehameha, eh lad?" the old man yelled at his airborne student. "But you won't win this match just by copying my moves!"

Still in the air Ranma grinned at the old man's remark. He arched his hands in the familiar position once more. Blue chi gathered in his palm, but rather than unleashing it at Jackie Chun he blasted upward and away propelling him towards his foe at an extremely high velocity. "Eat this, Old Freak!"

Chun's eyes widened as he realized that Ranma was quickly approaching him with his leg extended. "What? Two of them?"

"Kamehameha Ryūsei Kyaku!"

The second Kamahameha gave Ranma the extra boost to perform a devastating kick. Perhaps a mixture of the shock of seeing his student perform two high level versions of the Turtle Destruction Wave in row and the blazing speed of the attack caused the old hermit to take the attack head on. He crumbled to the ground.

"Incredible!" The announcer declared. "Contestant Ranma has displayed a shocking mastery of the Kamehameha Wave and has taken Jackie Chun out with a single mind bogglingly powerful kick!"

"Hey," Ranma said over the blond sunglasses wearing announcer. "How 'bout you start that ten count, if you ain't too busy? You know, it's only your damn job!"

"Oh right," the Announcer said, somewhat embarrassed. "One! Two! Three!"

From the fighter's entrance Kuririn was shocked. He hadn't realized that Ranma had progressed that far in his training. For his part his training mate Goku, also standing on the sidelines, was significantly more somber. "No way it's that easy," the monkey tailed boy muttered.

The young monk shook his head. "Easy? He lucked out, is what happened. No way the does Jackie gets up from-"

"And Jackie Chun is up before by the count of seven!" The Announcer declared, interrupting Kuririn's assumption.

Indeed Chun had gotten back up to his feat, though his nose was a little more crooked than it used to be. He gave his student a bitter glare. "I suppose I underestimated your progress after all. I knew you had learned the Kamehameha but I never dreamed you could so rapidly perform the technique."

Ranma smiled. "I guess I should have figured that kick wouldn't be enough. But now I'll just take you out quickly."

This time Chun didn't respond. He simply braced himself.

Ranma readied the fighting stance that defeated Son Goku. "Roga Hakku Ken!"

Once more the teenage turtle disciple dashed at his opponent with incredible speed. He connected with a blow from his left hand that went right through the old man…wait, right through him? What looked to Ranma and the audience like Jackie Chun was apparently an illusion, some sort of After Image. The pig tailed boy's confidence dropped as he realized he had lost track of his master.

"Behind you," was all the boy heard from the hermit before he was struck by a tremendous double chop to the back of his neck. Ranma, after being attacked by his master with such force took two steps forward before falling flat on his face.

Jackie Chun, now standing over Ranma's fallen form, gave a deep sigh of relief. "You gave me a work out, boy, but in the end there's little a youngster like you can do against decades upon decades of training." He turned to the Announcer. "No need to make the count. I estimate he'll wake up three days from now."

The crowd roared with approval as the old man seemed to have the deceive victory. From her spot in the audience though one lone voice called out to the fallen pig tailed boy. "Ranma, you dumb jock!" Bulma yelled out at the top of her lungs. "If you lose to that old man I'll never forgive!"

Miraculously Ranma stirred, just as the count was reaching nine. "Yeah yeah, ya stupid brat," he quickly muttered as he slowly stood up. "I ain't done yet, so quit your belly aching."

The crowd cheered even harder upon seeing the resilience of the younger fighter. Bulma simply gave a relieved sigh. "Don't worry me like that, dummy."

Chun backed away from the now standing Ranma, genuinely surprised that he would be able to continue this fight. "To take such a blow…you've impressed me, youth."

"Oh yeah?" Ranma sad, smirking. "Well get ready to drop your jaw some more 'cause I still got a few tricks left."

The disguised Muten Roshi chuckled at that. "You've already used your trump card. Isn't better to give up rather than risking further injury to your hand or neck?"

"Screw you, Old Freak!" Ranma yelled as he again formed the stance of the White Tiger Fang Fist. He dashed wildly at his mentor with seemingly no real plan. "I'll do an all-out attack!"

"You fool" was all anyone heard from the old man as, just like before, Ranma passed through an After Image rather than the old man himself. And just like last time Chun appeared from behind with a powerful blow…that passed through an After Image of his intended target!

"Impossible!' Roshi declared as he saw the real Ranma coming at him from the corner of his eye. Apparently the Turtle Hermit had fallen right into Ranma's trap!

"You fell for it," Ranma yelled as he struck the old man with a kick. But to his chagrin that too turned out to be an After Image. Apparently it was the pig tailed boy, not his master, who had been caught.

"You didn't count on the Niju Zanzoken," Chun yelled as he suddenly reappeared with a crushing knee attack straight for Ranma's head.

Or it would have if that as the real Ranma. Chun stopped short right before he connected. "I'm no fool, Ranma." He looked to his right. Another blurry image of Ranma stood there with its tongue stuck out. "You're a fast learner, but the real you is obviously…"

The old man struck the Ranma that was creeping behind him with a blow at full force. "HERE!"

But it wasn't! Again it was just an After Image! "A triple shadow? It can't be!"

"It's over" the real Ranma yelled from the far side of the ring. His stance was one all two familiar to the turtle hermit. "Kamehameha!"

The blast of blue chi connected to the off-guard Jackie Chun sending him crashing into one of the statues near the fighter's entrance, shattering the stone like it was a sand castle. From where he stood Ranma slumped over. The battle had seriously taken its toll, but doing three After Images in conjunction with a Kamehameha had wiped him out. "Stay down would ya?"

The Announcer again made the count but once again Chun got to his feet before being disqualified, leaving Ranma feeling a bit flabbergasted. "Damn, what's it gonna take?"

Dusting himself off and cracking his neck Chun gave is student a knowing glance. "Simply incredible. You quickly learn from your mistakes and missteps in battle and immediately incorporate that information into your fighting style. You moves are fluid and ever changing. I've never fought an opponent quite like that."

Ranma shrugged. "Well if our so impressed than why don't you just give up and let me win?"

"Sorry," the disguised Kame-Sen'nin replied with a surprising amount of sincerity. "As I said I cannot allow you to win. But to think I would have to resort to this move…

"Only one man has ever driven me this far, Ranma!"

With that the aged fighter clasped his hands together and began drawing in what appeared to be huge amount of ki. Chun then thrust his now glowing palms forward. "Bankoku Bikkuri Shou!"

Lighting literally shot out from the old man's hands hitting its target. Ranma, now covered in an aura of electricity, screamed in pain as seemingly every bit of his being felt like it was on fire. The crowd was speechless a this display.

"Surrender, lad," Jackie Chun yelled. "Or else you'll die! I'm serous!"

Ranma was in excruciating pain and unable to move, but he was still defiant. "Eat shit, old fart," he managed to spit out.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the Announcer yelled out into his microphone. "I think it's safe to say that Saotome Ranma is at the mercy of Jackie Chun! It seems the winner of this fight will be determined by whether or not the young fighter submits…or perishes at the hands of this highly dangerous technique!"

The scene was almost too much to watch and many spectators had to turn away. From their spot at ringside Ukyo and Chi-Chi were practically begging Ranma to surrender. "You fought well, Ranchan," the chef called out. "It's okay to give up!"

"NEVER!" Ranma screamed despite the fact that his vision was starting to blur.

Goku looked on from the fighter's entrance. Unlike many of the others in the arena he still believed in his friend's ability to escape. "Big Brother! You can still win!"

However at that fateful moment the young monkey tailed boy happened to catch a glimpse of something in the corner of his eye. It was something that he had only seen a few times in his life. And it was something that if Yamcha and Bulma had bothered to keep up with the lunar cycle they would have probably would have kept him indoors during this fight.

"Hey, is that the moon?" Goku asked to no one in particularly. Indeed he was mesmerized by its sight. Night had not yet fallen but the moon could still easily be seen in the evening glow. "So pretty..."

It was Kuririn who noticed Goku's attitude first. He was going to tell him to get his head out of the clouds but before he could get the words out he noticed that his friend seemed to be getting hairier…and larger? In fact he was getting huge!

"G-Goku?" Kuririn said as he backed away from his friend. "W-what are you d-doing?"

Before he knew it the former monk wasn't speaking to his friend but instead talking to what appeared to be a giant ape-like monster.

And it wasn't happy.

Soon all eyes were forced away from the fight and onto the creature that seemed to be intent on crushing everything. The monster gave a blood stopping roar, smashing parts of the arena's architecture.

"Oh God!" Yamcha yelled form ringside. "It's the full moon! Goku's turned into that monster ape again!"

From the ring Jackie Chun found himself concentrating less on his opponent and more on the giant monkey taking a swing at him. The massive fist coming straight at is head forced the old man to dodge out of the way which, incidentally, broke the hold of the Bankoku Bikkuri Shou over Ranma. Free, but hurting, the teenage boy had little time to react before the creature turned on him as well.

"What the hell is that thing?" Ranma asked, terror taking the place of reason.

"Are you asking me?" Chun replied as he continued trying to avoid attacks from the creature. "How am I supposed to know?"

The monkey beast turned its attention towards the pig tailed boy. Ranma looked up at the monster like a deer caught in headlights. As the former child began to bring down it massive fist on top of the stunned teenager a third party knocked the former Saotome Heir out of harm's way right before he would have been crushed. It was Yamcha; he had come into the ring and rescued his perceived rival form certain doom. "He's very dangerous in this state," the former bandit explained.

From the sidelines Kuririn was panicking. He, like most of the people in the area, had never seen anything like this. "Ranma!" he called out to his friend. "We have to run! Goku's gone crazy!"

The pig tailed fighter's eyes widened at that. "Goku? That thing is Goku?"

Yamcha nodded. "Goku turns into that creature whenever he sees a full moon," he explained. "The last time this happened was the night Shenlong sent you and Ryoga back to your world."

Ranma glanced at the rampaging creature; he seemed like he wanted to destroy as much of the temple as possible. Was this Goku's true form? Was this the source of his power? Is this why he was missing his tail? Should he stay and fight it? He couldn't' run, he'd lose the fight by ring-out.

"Don't worry," Yamcha announced. "I have a plan! Come on Pu'ar!"

"Yes sir!" the cat creature yelled as he suddenly appeared behind his friend. Of course Ranma fainted upon seeing him there, because as we all know flying cat-like creatures are more terrifying than giant ape monsters.

Before Yamcha could enact his plan of cutting goff Goku's til for a second time he noticed that Jackie Chun, having apparently removed his jacket, was staring the creature down. "So the full moon has turned Goku into a monster, eh?" He had a dangerous look in his eyes.

The frail old man shouted, apparently powering up his inner chi to extraordinary levels. His frame bulged out in massive muscles as blue chi began collecting in his hands. Yamcha recognized this as being similar to the destruction of Fry-Pan Mountain at the hands of the Muten Roshi but the difference being that he could sense that this gathering of power was much stronger!

"KAMEHAMEHA! FULL POWER!"

"Noooo," Yamcha screamed as the old man released the massive ki blast. So bright was the attack that it actually temporarily blinded all in the arena.

The power unleashed was great enough to force Ranma back to his senses. However he was greeted with smoke and debris where his monstrous friend had previously been standing. The blast Chun had let loose would have been too much for even a creature as large as that to survive. "Goku," the teenage boy said as he looked over the scene. "He…he killed him?"

Yamcha, who was nearby the pig tailed boy, was giving Jackie Chun a downright horrified look. "You…you didn't need to kill him! Cutting of his tail would have turned him normal!"

Chun made no expression of remorse. "I did what I had to do based on what little information I had," he calmly said.

Perhaps he had more to say but the old man was cut off by his pig tailed opponent…by way of a punch to the jaw. The disguised Turtle Hermit was literally knocked off his feet by the attack from Ranma. As he looked over his assailant he noticed that this was not the same youth he had been fighting before: this was a Ranma clearly consumed by rage. Even his battle aura was visible, but it was a shade of red. As a master the aged fighter could sense the power the boy as displaying…and it deeply shocked him!

"You bastard," Ranma growled. "You killed Goku! You killed my little brother! You'll pay for this, you murdering scum!"

He was deadly serious, the hermit could tell. He was ready to rip him to shreds and the so-called invincible master had little doubt that he could do it.

Luckily for the turtle hermit he was saved by his other disciple timely intervention. Kuririn quickly grabbed his older training mate's legs. "Wait Ranma! Goku's not dead!"

This snapped the teenaged fighter out of his rage. The former monk pointed to the spot where the giant monkey once stood. The smoke that surrounded the area had dissipated revealing an unconscious, naked, but very much so alive Goku lying peaceful on the ground.

"Goku!" Ranma yelled, forgetting all about gaining revenge on Kame-Sen'nin, rushed over to his fallen friend. He picked the little sleeping body into his arms. "You stupid money," he sniffed. "Don't worry me like that, idiot!"

Kuririn gave a knowing smile at this scene. "Wow Ranma, are you crying?"

"W-what?" Ranma spat out while quickly wiping his eyes. "O-of course not! It's all this dust!"

"Oh my God," the booming voice of the Announcer yelled. "The moon is gone! I think Jackie Chun just destroyed the moon!"

It was true. Despite that it stood against all logical it the moon had been blown way. The power attack was not aimed at Goku but rather the moon itself!

Chun, now back on his feet and calmly putting his jacket back on, simply nodded. "Of course. Now Goku will never change again."

Ranma gave the old man a somewhat embarrassed look. "I guess I should have known you wouldn't kill the kid. Sorry I lost it back there."

Chun just waved him off. "No need to apologize, lad. It seems like you and the boy share a very close bond."

The pig tailed boy nodded then turned his attention to the boy in his arms. "Goku once told me," he said to those around him. "That a monster stepped on and killed his grandpa a while back. He said he was told that the monster walked around during full moons and that he'd be safe as long as he stayed indoors." He gave his master an uncharacteristically sad expression as realization over her 'brother's" tragic past set it. "Goku was that monster. He killed his own grandfather."

Chun nodded. "It seems to be the most likely scenario."

"That's why we kept it secret when we found out a year ago," Yamcha somberly added. "He never remembers what happens when he turns into that thing. We didn't want him to have to live with the knowledge he killed his only family, you know."

"Yeah," Ranma replied. "And the rest of us are gonna keep that secret. There ain't no moon anymore so he won't change again. He doesn't need to know about this. Ever!" He glared at the large crowd gathered with an expression similar to the one he had given Jackie Chun just minutes go. "Right? You guys can keep a secret, right?"

The crowd nodded clearly fearful of the boy's wrath.

"Goku is still Goku," the boy continued, his voice full of pity. "It doesn't matter what that thing we just saw was. The real Goku is that sweet, stupid kid that's always trying to help people."

"Um, I hate to interrupt," the Announcer said from his spot at ringside. "But do you think you two are able to continue with the finals?"

Ranma nodded "Yeah, I'm game if the old man is." He looked over to Ukyo's spot in the front row. "Hey Ucchan, you mind grabbing Goku for me?"

Ukyo, who had been looking on in shock nearly the entire sequence of events involving the ape monster, quickly entered the ring and took the boy into her arms. "Yeah, sure thing Ranchan."

The other worldly fighter turned his gaze towards Jackie Chun, but said one last thing to his oldest friend. "You're pretty much the only one I trust to look after 'em for me."

Ukyo was unable to responds due to the large amount of blushing she was doing. Instead she walked towards what was left of the fighter's backstage area, joined soon by Kuririn.

The ring cleared of people finally both fighters again found themselves facing off, though the tone of the fight had changed drastically due to the interruption. "I have to say, lad," Chun said to his pupil. "I'm not running on much after that large Kamehameha. But I know that you can probably barely stand after taking the Bankoku Bikkuri Shou for so long. Therefore I suggest that we finish things with our fists. Even with the most refined fighters it eventually comes down to that in the end."

"Fine by me," Ranma replied. "I'm running fumes."

Chun smirked. He knew Ranma had been seriously hurt by his attack before Goku got involved in the fight. Now that he had successfully baited Ranma into an all or nothing slugfest he knew all he had to do was put all the last of his remaining strength into a blow to his student's right side; with his injured hand he won't be able to defend properly. "You've fought well, Ranma," the old man thought to himself. "But it's over now!"

"I'm hungry," a sleepy Goku mumbled from the sidelines.

Both fighters charged each other at full tilt intent on ending this battle now! Chun leapt forward into a flying kick aiming straight for his disciple. However Ranma didn't follow suit. Instead of leaping at the old man with a forward attack he slid towards him on his knees using his momentum to thrust himself forward. As a result the airborne Chun found himself above a leaned back pig tailed boy.

"No! You can't have enough energy for that? Chun yelled as he realized what Ranma was about to do.

"Wanna bet!" Ranma yelled back as he leapt up from his spot connecting with a giant head butt against the old man. The impact was hard enough that everyone in the arena heard it. Both fighters fell backwards after the attack, both master and student lying on their backs.

"Ranma has just delivered a mighty blow to Jackie Chun using what little remained of his strength!" The Announcer declared. "But does he have anything left!"

Apparently he did not since despite being on the giving end of that blow it seemed to have taken everything he had to do it. Like Chun he was on the ground and he didn't look to be moving! The Announcer was forced to start the ten count. The crowd was split; half cheered Chun to stand while the other half was yelling for Ranma. By the count of five both fighters began stirring, forcing willing themselves to their feet. But in the end at the count of nine Chun's legs gave out forcing him back down. It was the younger fighter who was able to stand.

"Winner by way of Knock Out: Saotome Ranma! Ranma is the Strongest Under the Heavens!"

The teenage fighter waved at the roaring crowd, all of whom seemed to be totally on his side at this point. And then he passed out. Perhaps it wasn't actually strength that forced the boy to his feet but rather pride and his obsession with not losing. His mission completed his body seemed to just shut down and the otherworldly fighters simply laid on the ring sleeping off the incredible battle.

From his spot on the ground Kame-Sen'nin leaned forward, frowning deeply. "I've failed," he thought to himself. "I never dreamed I'd have to expend so much power to destroy the moon. Now that he's won this tournament I fear I may have truly created a monster!"

Amidst the cheer crowd two women watched on, no less in awe but armed with their own agenda.

"Great-Grandmother," Shampoo said, smiling brightly. "Airen is too too strong! Is amazing, yes?"

Cologne nodded in agreement. "He's much more powerful than when he fought you last year. His strength would make a great boon for our village." Her expression darkened. "However I underestimated how strong his allies were. I fear if we simply took Son-in-Law now we may have to fight several super powered fighters in the process. We will have to approach this very carefully."

Shampoo gave her grandmother a curious look, not exactly certain what the matriarch was planning. "Airen's friends is obstacles?"

"I'm not certain yet, Shampoo," the old woman replied. Her expression turned cold and emotionless. "If they are…as you well know obstacles are for killing."

To be continued…

Preview of next chapter:

Ranma: Yo, Ranma here. Looks like I just showed everyone who the real strongest fighter in the world is. As if there was any doubt.

Kame-Sen'nin: Of course you do realize that had Goku not transformed and try to kill everyone you would have lost, do you not?

Ranma: Details, details. I'm sure I would have figured something out. But now I have to deal with something way scarier than martial art masters or giant monsters: women.

Ukyo: Come on, Ranchan! Let's go find those Dragon Ball things and finally get ourselves home!

Shampoo: Airen ready to come back to Amazon village, yes?

Bulma: You jerk! You're leaving already? You just came back!

Ranma: Aw man, I can't deal with this crap. Can't we have a few more chapters about me fighting guys instead? Next time on Ranma and the Monkey King: "Ranma's Fateful Decision! The Dragon Ball Hunt Begins Again!"

Author's Note

Okay so first of all I did not make the decision to have Ranma win the tournament lightly. I agonized over whether to do it or not for the majority of the time I was writing this story. In the end I figured out an interesting story hook spun out of his victory so I went with it. I am trying hard to avoid making him too powerful or too competent. It's a tricky line to balance across, however. Anyway the "Kamehameha Ryūsei Kyaku" is based on the "Pantyhose Shooting Star Kick" attack Ranma threw together in his fight with Pantyhose Taro in the Ranma ½ manga.

One more thing. In case you hadn't noticed I've revised all previous chapters in this story, fixing a lot of spelling/grammar problems and various other issues that had been bugging the hell out of me since I first published this thing in 2003. I'm significantly happier with "Ranma and the Monkey King" now.