“Hey! Just what do you two think you're up to?!” yelled Ranma right before Soun and Genma tackled him.

“Listen up, boy!” shouted Genma as he caught Ranma in a headlock. “The carnival's in town and it would be to the benefit of your future health that you took your lovely fiancé Akane. Ain't that right, Tendo?”

“Quite right, my dear Saotome. You see, Ranma, for one's heart to open up and be shared with one's love, one must bond with said love in a romantic and innocent environment…Do you understand…?” explained Soun, keeping a firm grip on the young martial artist's arms.

“Tch! I don't see where you two get off telling me to take that dumb Akane to the carnival. All she ever does is beat me up for no reason! Besides, I don't want to be seen with that ox anywhere in public.” Snorted Ranma, still struggling to break free of the two older men.

Suddenly the sky grew cloudy and lightning flashed while thunder boomed loudly in the air. Finding himself free of restraint Ranma looked around confusedly before stopping and staring at the two shadowed figures with glowing red eyes.

“After all we've done for you, boy, how can you be so stupid?” boomed Genma; rather, the sign boomed the message as he had somehow switched forms in the confusion.

“My daughter, young Saotome, is the only hope for this dojo. You shall take her to the carnival and you shall have a good time with her…for if you don't…” the thunder boomed an echo to the imposing threat from Soun, “You shall regret it to the end of your days!” The lightning flashed and then the two men were gone, and the sun once again appeared from behind the mysterious clouds.

“Alright, alright. You didn't have to be so pushy…I'll take the tomboy, but only because I'm bored! You hear that! …Stupid lousy old idiots, trying to tell me what to do…” Ranma huffed, stalking off to find Akane.

…He had decided to take Akane to the aforementioned place of merriment and fun. At least, that had been the plan until he'd made a remark about her figure at the “Guess Your Weight” game that had prompted a fierce beating and an angered walking off in a huff.

“Geez, it's not like I didn't know she was only one-twenty. I only added on the extra pounds to make up for the muscle is all…” Ranma thought to himself, rubbing the bump on his head as he sauntered about the area, hoping to find Akane before she ran home and told Soun on him. He could really do without being beaten up by the old man today. Akane's punishment was bad enough already.

As he wandered amidst the brightly coloured tents, Ranma couldn't quite help but shake the feeling that someone, or something was following him. Every time that he would round a corner he could just make out a figure clad in black clothing before it vanished from his sight. Keeping his guard up, he turned a corner quickly, only to slam into a large wooden sign.

“Itaiiii…” he grumbled as he fell upon his back, a large red rectangle imprinted on his face. “Who'd go and put a stupid sign right around a corner, huh?”

“Someone who wouldn't expect stupid people to round corners so quickly…” replied a voice somewhere above and in front of the prone Ranma.

“Who...Who's there?” asked a dazed and slightly confused Ranma as he got to his feet, a hand gingerly rubbing the welt.

“It is I! None other than the super fantastic terrifico prodigy of the Fortune Telling School of Martial Arts, Rasser, along with my compatriots Linzu, and last but not least, Lepeat. Together we work carnivals in order to spread our dojo's teachings!” spoke a hyperactive young girl who called herself Rasser.

“Ano, Rasser-chan…Didn't you say we were here to make some money for the groceries…?” asked a smallish boy wearing glasses and a purple robe that Rasser had referred to as Linzu.

“…for the groceries…?” followed up an even younger girl, who, by the process of elimination, had to be Lepeat.

“Gah! You two! How many times do I have to tell you to keep your mouths shut?! If we blow this one we won't be able to eat for a week! Do you understand?!” fumed a red faced Rasser to the two younger children, flailing her arms wildly.

“Uh, hello? You three? Hello?!…HEY!!!” shouted Ranma, causing the three quarreling partners to spin around with wide eyes. “Hey, that's better. Now what's this I hear about a…Fortune Telling School of Martial Arts?” questioned Ranma, never one to shy away from a possible competition.

“Ahem!” piped up Linzu as he removed a poster from behind the counter of the shoddily built hut. “The Fortune Telling School of Martial Arts was founded three weeks ago by none other than we before you. Currently we are on a mission to try and recruit new members to help spread this new and wonderful art around all of Japan!”

“…All of Japan!” echoed Lepeat.

“Huh…I've never heard of you all…But, I can't just go around letting possible rivals spring up everywhere in Japan. In the name of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts, I, Ranma Saotome, challenge you!”

“Terrific!” exclaimed Rasser, holding out a collection dish. “That will be 1500 yen!”

“I can't believe you're charging me to fight you…” grumbled Ranma after recovering from the sudden pratfall. “How about 500 yen for each one that manages to defeat me?”

“A businessman, eh?” asked Linzu, eyeing Ranma suspiciously. “But I could never resist a good bit of gambling. What say you two?”

“…Say you two?”

“I say go for it. We can beat this wimpy pig-tailed punk and get the money we need to pay for dinner tonight.” Rasser smirked, her arms folded across her chest.

“We accept your challenge, Saotome-kun. Please, follow us into the depths of the Tent of Mystery!” invited Linzu as he turned and ducked into the ramshackle structure with Rasser and Lepeat following.

“…Tent of Mystery!”

“…The hell is this?! Where did this sparring ring come from?!” questioned Ranma in quite an exclamatory way. Outside the tent hadn't been much bigger than a Port-A-John, but inside was a sparring room big enough to rival that of the Tendo Dojo.

“Ah hah! Sore wa, himitsu desu, Saotome-kun. That is a high secret of the Fortune Telling School of Martial Arts! Defeat us and perhaps you may learn some of it, hmm?” boasted Rasser.

“Actually, we just cut a hole through the wall behind our tent and found this big dojo here. It was quite a surprise actually. I think it was left over from last year's carnival. Quite amazing, isn't it?” explained Linzu, much to the obvious dismay of a collapsed Rasser.

“Baka ne! You weren't supposed to tell him that!” shouted a now upright Rasser as she shook her fist at Linzu.

“But Rasser-chan, I'm just trying to run an honest dojo. There's no need to lie to a paying customer.”

“…a paying customer.”

“Whoa, hold on. You said I only had to pay if I lost to one of you guys!” interjected Ranma, who was still, at the moment, looking about the dojo.

“Well now…I don't expect you to win…” chuckled Linzu, a broad grin on his pale face. “Shall we get this thing started? I'm quite hungry…”

“…I'm quite hungry…”

“Huh, we'll see about that, you arrogant little brat.” Sniffed Ranma as he jumped up onto the sparring mat, taking stance with the utmost confidence. “Which one of you twerps will be the first to go down?”

“I believe, Saotome-kun, that -you- shall be the first to admit defeat! You shall have the honor of challenging the third strongest member of the Fortune Telling School of Martial Arts!” shouted Rasser, hopping into the ring opposite Ranma.

“Whatever. Just `cause you're a girl doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on you.” Warned Ranma, cracking his knuckles.

“Hmph. Just cause you're a boy doesn't mean I'm going to lose to you.? Retorted Rasser, taking up her patented “Crouching Cricket” stance.

“Begin!” shouted Linzu, banging the gong that was so conveniently placed beside the ring.

“…Begin!”

As soon as the gong had let out its brassy tone the two were charging at each other at great speed. Pulling back his arm for a quick finishing blow, Ranma leapt toward Rasser, a confident smirk playing upon his determined face. He delivered the punch with all the force he could muster and…he caught nothing but a robe with the swing. He turned around from the large hole now in the floor of the sparring ring just in time to see Rasser tap his forehead before he passed out on the floor.

“That'll teach him to mess with the owner of the “Super Foaming Action” attack.” Chuckled Rasser as she jumped from the ring to rejoin her two comrades.

“I wonder what lays dormant inside the heart of this one, eh, Rasser-chan?” asked Linzu, nodding toward the prone and unconscious Ranma.

“…One, eh, Rasser-chan?”

“Heh, let's just watch and see…”