"I've finally made it."
On this particular day, a strange traveler covered in dust appeared at Furinkan High School.
"Hey! How do I get to Furinkan High?" The stranger suddenly grabbed a male student next to him.
"Um…" The student pointed blankly at the school sign right beside them, clearly marked with the words "Furinkan High School."
"…Then where's Saotome Ranma?" the stranger demanded again.
"Coming through!" Ranma dashed right past him.
"Saotome Ranma!" With a fierce shout, the stranger leaped forward, slamming down at Ranma with the handle of his umbrella.
Ranma flipped back neatly, narrowly avoiding the strike. The umbrella smashed a deep crater into the pavement, scattering dust and rubble.
"You're…?" Ranma wore a thoughtful look.
"You haven't changed one bit. You're still so good at dodging," the stranger sneered coldly.
"Ah—! I remember now! You're Hibiki Ryoga, my junior high classmate! Long time no see!"
Ryoga gave a disdainful snort. "Answer me! Why didn't you show up for our fight back then?!"
"I waited there for three whole days, Ryoga! Actually, I have a question too. The fight location was less than five hundred meters from your house—why did you keep me waiting for so long?"
"Oh, I get it," murmured the gathered crowd, suddenly enlightened. "This guy… has no sense of direction."
"Not just any—he's the ultimate lost boy!"
Ryoga lowered his head, then suddenly roared, "Because of you, I suffered unbearable humiliation! Everything I've done since then is for revenge!"
"I don't quite follow what you're talking about, but if you want a duel, I'm ready any time!"
Ranma shifted into a fighting stance. Ryoga sneered again, abruptly launching his umbrella handle forward at lightning speed. Ranma dodged, but Ryoga had already closed in, throwing a punch directly at his face.
Thud!
Fist met wrist with a heavy sound. Ranma's feet skidded several meters backwards, a grim expression forming. Ryoga's strength was shockingly high—he'd clearly underestimated him.
"Hehe… You've gotten weak, Ranma—or perhaps I should say, my desire for revenge has made me stronger!" Ryoga leaped at Ranma again. Just at that moment, the sky suddenly darkened with clouds, and a heavy rain abruptly poured down.
"Oh no!" Both Ranma and Ryoga's faces twisted simultaneously, lunging desperately toward the umbrella on the ground.
"It's mine!" Like countless competitions over the last school lunch back in their junior high days, Ranma once again managed to snatch the umbrella first.
"Dammit!" With no time left for revenge, Ryoga let out a wail and dashed frantically toward nearby bushes.
"I just saw a shadow…"
"Me too…"
The crowd murmured uncertainly. Ranma, closest of all, had seen clearly: Ryoga's body seemed to have undergone some strange transformation.
"A little black piglet!" Walking home after school, Ray Chu and Nabiki saw a frantic black shadow barreling straight at Nabiki, only for Ray Chu to kick it spinning through the air.
Holding the piglet upside-down by the tail, Ray Chu watched as it squealed and waved tiny limbs furiously at him, making utterly ineffective threats.
"Guess we're having this for dinner," Ray Chu suggested to Nabiki.
Nabiki thought it over before decisively pounding her fist into her palm. "Let's fatten it up first."
The little piglet stiffened, struggling even harder, until Ray Chu casually knocked it out with a slap.
...
At home, upon hearing about Ranma's fight at school, Ray Chu asked, "Need help?"
Ranma shook his head, pointing at the black piglet Ray Chu was holding. "What's that?"
The piglet regained consciousness at that moment and immediately went frantic upon seeing Ranma. Ray Chu slapped it lightly on the forehead again. "Behave! Found this little thing on the street. Seems ownerless."
"It's emergency rations," Nabiki clarified.
"Wait." Ranma suddenly stopped Ray Chu, eyeing the piglet seriously. "Ray Chu, could you give that pig to me?"
"Careful—it's a feisty one." Ray Chu tossed the lively piglet to Ranma, then watched curiously as Ranma suspiciously slipped away.
Moments later, a loud crash echoed from the next room. When everyone rushed over, Ranma was standing alone amidst a collapsed wall.
"Ryoga… so that's your secret…"
...
Later, when Akane returned home, Ranma froze in horror at seeing the familiar black pig comfortably nestled against Akane's chest.
"Th-That pig… He… he's—" Ranma stammered, pointing shakily.
"I named him Little P. I found him injured on the roadside," Akane said brightly, holding the piglet high for Ranma to see, then gently placing him on the table while she went to find the medical kit.
"Hey, Ryoga, didn't you say you were going back to China to find a cure for your curse?" Ranma whispered harshly at the piglet as soon as Akane left.
The piglet shot him a disdainful look, ignoring him completely, lying down comfortably. As soon as Akane returned, it emitted joyful squeals and leaped straight into her arms.
"Eh? Isn't that the piglet Ray-kun lost?" Nabiki casually remarked as she walked by after bathing.
Ranma nodded vigorously at once. "Exactly! This little black pig belongs to Ray Chu—he's quite attached to it!"
"Oh, so its owner was Ray-kun?" Akane's expression fell in disappointment, completely oblivious to the terrified struggle of the piglet in her arms.
Genma—in panda form—joined the fray, lifting a sign: [Ray Chu mentioned before he plans to raise many pets, including ones with weird names like Rayquaza, Solgaleo…]
"Oh right! This little piglet is the one Ray Chu just brought home," Nabiki chimed in.
"…Well, if Akane-chan likes it, just keep it." Ray Chu didn't care at all about a tiny piglet—there wasn't much meat on it anyway.
"Ah! Thank you so much, Ray-kun!" Akane was thrilled; clearly, she'd taken a liking to the piglet.
"No, you can't!" Ranma suddenly blurted out, startling everyone. He quickly pulled Ray Chu aside and explained that the piglet was actually Ryoga's transformed form.
"So that's what's going on. No wonder it seemed odd." Ray Chu clapped his hands together, finally understanding Ranma's strange behavior earlier, then teased, "Ranma-kun, are you jealous?"
"Wh-Who'd be jealous of that guy?! I just don't want Akane to be deceived."
"Then it's simple—just tell Akane the truth."
Ranma shook his head. "If Ryoga got exposed face-to-face, he'd probably die of shame. Just take the pig back instead."
"…Fine!"
Yet when Ray Chu and Ranma returned, Akane firmly refused to let go. "Sis just told me—you're planning to keep Little P as emergency food! I won't let you hurt him!"
Ray Chu gave Ranma a helpless shrug. "Right now, he's just a pig anyway. You don't need to worry." This was his only consolation.
...
Several days later, Little P went missing from the yard, causing Akane great distress. She finally relaxed only when Ranma repeatedly assured her that Little P's original owner, Ryoga, had reclaimed him.
"I promise I'll return to your side! Wait for me, Akane…" Meanwhile, Ryoga, hopelessly lost after leaving the Tendo household, had somehow ended up all the way across the country—in Hokkaido.
---
T/N: here is ryogaaaaaaaaaa
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