Something Old, Something New
M A Davis / Miko
"Naturally," Soun Tendo said, "all of the credit for the idea goes to my daughter Nabiki. I was surprised when she suggested it, but given all that I've learned over the years, and given the recklessness of Ranma, his friends, and now his students, it seemed like a very natural thing to do. After all, we've always struggled to put food on the table and keep the house and dojo in good repair. Once Ranma and Akane were finally married, the income that Nabiki brought in from photos of them and information about them dried up. We needed a new source of income."
"That's when Nabiki made her trip to America?" the carpenter, Arimune Daimaru, asked. The two walked slowly around the Tendo home, studying the condition of the walls and windows. Occasionally Arimune Daimaru would pause to examine a section that had been recently repaired, and nod his head thoughtfully.
"That's right," Soun said. "She saw the original during her summer in San Francisco. Actually, I'm not sure if it was the original or not; I understand there have been several imitators, and I've never seen any of them. But at the time, there wasn't anything quite like it here in Japan, and given our unique spin on things, we thought we had a winner. Luckily we were right! We've been doing it for four years now, come Sunday. Keisaku Sakado was a great help during that time, and now that he's left and you're here, I'm sure you'll be just as handy!"
"Well," the carpenter said, "that's my job. I'm just grateful for this opportunity."
Rounding the corner, they stepped into the Tendo dojo. Inside waited Ranma Saotome, Genma Saotome (in panda form), Ryoga Hibiki, and Hikaru Gosunkuji. The three martial artists were standing in the center of the dojo, while Hikaru was positioned near the wall, behind a very large free-standing camera.
"Are we ready to do this?" Hikaru asked.
"Anytime," Ranma said. "I'm tired of standing around."
"You may start," Soun said. "You know what to do."
Ranma and Ryoga nodded. As Panda-san stepped out of the way, Hikaru began filming. Ranma and Ryoga faced each other.
"Ranma!" Ryoga yelled. "Prepare to die!"
"Ha! You wish!" Ranma yelled back. The two leaped forward, fists and feet flying. Fifteen seconds into the fight, Ryoga powered up one of his patented Shishi Hokoudan chi-blasts. The firey ball of chi energy flew across the room, narrowly missing Ranma as he dodged, and blasted the far wall, sending splinters of wood everywhere.
Ranma and Ryoga stopped, turning towards the camera. Soun stepped up beside them, and the carpenter, Arimune, knelt before them, hammer and saw in hand. Lastly, Panda-san stepped into the picture, a tool belt buckled about his furry belly.
"Chi blasts," Soun said, "are a devastating weapon in the hands of a true martial artist, but they also wreak havoc on buildings. With the aid of the ever-faithful panda-san and my new assistant, Daimaru-san, we will be repairing the damage from the blast you just saw, today on 'This Old Dojo'."
FINI
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