After bidding farewell to the elderly Joketsuzoku woman, Ray Chu stepped out of the Cat Café alongside Shampoo. However, contrary to Shampoo's imagined romantic outing, Nabiki had also tagged along.
"You woman…" Shampoo shot Nabiki a hostile glare.
But Nabiki calmly grabbed Ray Chu's other hand. "Look, Ray-kun! There's a festival over there!"
"It's the Kamigamo Shrine Festival!" As a native, Nabiki naturally knew more about these traditional events than foreigners like Ray Chu and Shampoo.
In ancient times, people believed poor harvests were punishments from Kamo-no-Kami. To prevent disasters and secure abundant harvests, they tied bells around horses' necks and let them run freely in worship of the deity. This tradition became known as the Aoi Matsuri.
Today, five hundred people dressed in dazzling ancient costumes and traditional makeup marched through Kyoto's main streets.
As dusk gradually fell, rows of glowing paper lanterns lit up beneath the eaves of buildings, illuminating the streets in a soft, golden glow.
Strolling among well-preserved ancient architecture, surrounded by elegantly dressed festival-goers, it felt like stepping back into the Heian era.
Another specialty of Japanese festivals was the street food and entertainment booths. The blend of bright lights, laughter, and delicious aromas filled the atmosphere with liveliness.
Influenced by the festival's joyful mood, the two girls temporarily set aside their rivalry, cheerfully enjoying the snacks and amusements together.
"Huh, aren't those two Ranma and Akane?"
"Nabiki-san, and Ray, Shampoo—you came as well!"
Notably, it was currently Girl Ranma who appeared, dressed in a lovely kimono. Standing next to Akane, they looked like a pair of sisters.
"Little P is here too?" Nabiki teased the black piglet's nose, causing him to struggle wildly in embarrassment.
"Speaking of which, why are you dressed like this?" Ray Chu asked.
Girl Ranma glanced over at Akane, who was busy chatting with Nabiki, and curled her lips sourly. "Because a certain girl insisted on visiting the festival with Girl Ranma."
Ray Chu patted Ranma's shoulder, impressed by the sacrifices made for love.
"Pigtailed girl, and Akane-san—seeing your beautiful kimono, this must surely be heaven?" a voice called from behind. It was Tatewaki Kuno, accompanied by his sister Kodachi the Black Rose, both dressed in elaborate traditional outfits.
"Ray Chu-sama, even in casual clothes, your elegance still surpasses everyone here," Kodachi murmured dreamily, cheeks flushed.
"Yo, Kuno," Girl Ranma greeted casually.
"Pigtailed girl, have you come seeking my embrace?"
Tatewaki Kuno spread his arms, eagerly running forward.
"You idiot… just fly already!" Ranma promptly kicked Kuno skyward.
"Hehehe… out of consideration for Ray Chu-sama, I'll spare you today!" Kodachi, perceptively reading the situation, promptly vanished.
"Seems like she just ran away…"
After this small interlude, the two groups decided to enjoy the festival together.
"Look, there's a panda performing acrobatics!" Excited children gathered around a stage, watching a panda perform humorous antics.
"That panda… is Pops, right?" Girl Ranma asked, chewing on an octopus ball.
From nowhere, Soun Tendo appeared, eyes filled with hope. "Although we got the house and dojo back, there's still debt to pay, so he's earning money to repay it."
"Well, keep up the good work then!" Girl Ranma encouragingly patted Soun's shoulder before swiftly moving on.
Everyone else passed by Soun one after another, casually implying that debt repayment was hardly the responsibility of youths still in school.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As time passed, festive fireworks soared into the night sky, blossoming into dazzling, sparkling flowers.
"So beautiful!"
The girls around Ray Chu gently closed their eyes, softly making wishes beneath the brilliant fireworks. Their charming faces, illuminated by flickering sparks, made for an unforgettable scene.
A full moon rose gently, spreading silver moonlight like a delicate veil over the earth.
"I've always felt like Ray-kun isn't from around here. It feels as though there's always a thin barrier separating us," Nabiki quietly murmured under the moonlight as she made her wish.
"The Ray I love is the strongest martial artist—someone who never stops moving forward," Shampoo said softly, eyes still closed, lashes trembling slightly. "But I hope someday, when he grows tired, he'll remember there's someone waiting for him…"
"Nabiki… Shampoo…" Ray Chu deeply regarded the two girls. Perhaps due to a woman's intuition, they seemed to have sensed something.
Yet, what made a journey special was that once it began, it wouldn't easily come to an end.
...
Later that night, after safely escorting the two girls home, Ray Chu silently left a letter behind at the Tendo house and quietly stepped outside.
"Hey, were you planning on leaving without even saying goodbye?" Ranma, sitting atop the roof, suddenly spoke up.
"No need. I'm just continuing to the next stage of my journey."
Ranma scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Though I don't know where you're headed, you're welcome to come back anytime."
Without turning back, Ray Chu raised a hand. "Of course, I'll return someday. Also, you'd better confess to Akane sooner rather than later."
Ranma nearly slipped from the roof in shock. "W-Why would I ever like that violent tomboy?!"
"Who are you calling violent?!" Akane, who'd been eavesdropping below, threw a heavy weight, knocking Ranma to the ground.
"Ah! Pops, and everyone else—you were all here?"
Kasumi smiled gently, helping bandage Ranma. "Yes, we noticed quite a while ago."
"Then why didn't you come out and say goodbye?"
"Ray-kun's only leaving temporarily for training, like Ryoga-kun. He'll surely return after he's done. There's no need for a goodbye," the panda-form Genma explained via his sign.
Soun nodded seriously. "Exactly—no need at all."
Ranma vaguely nodded in agreement, glancing around. "Where's Nabiki-san?"
"Probably in her room, crying."
At that moment, Nabiki was quietly gazing at her treasured photos of Ray Chu on her desk. With a deep sigh, she locked them away carefully in her drawer. I'll keep these last few photos as memories…
For some reason, her vision blurred slightly as she looked toward the moonlit sky, joining the Tendo family and the Saotomes silently watching the distant horizon. Quietly in her heart, she whispered, Farewell, Ray-kun.
,,,
Elsewhere, Shampoo, clutching a heavy traveling bag and a pair of bonbori, hid around a street corner. "Now that darling's leaving, I'll travel with him. By the time we return, that stupid woman won't stand a chance…"
"My dear great-granddaughter, your fiancé approaches," Cologne called softly as she leapt down from a nearby rooftop.
But just as they prepared to run out, a blinding flash of light suddenly appeared ahead, forcing them to shield their eyes.
By the time they could see again, Ray Chu's figure had completely vanished from sight.
"Darling! Don't go…!"
---
A/N: Lately there have been quite a few opinions in the comment section, and honestly, it does affect my writing mood.
But Tupi Rou still feels it's necessary to explain a few things clearly—mainly to keep readers from dropping the book…
First, about the Dragon Ball wish.
Some readers asked: why not wish for immortality, or just become a Super Saiyan directly?
But according to Dragon Ball's rules, Shenron can't grant wishes beyond the creator's power. Becoming a Super Saiyan is obviously impossible. As for immortality—remember when King Piccolo wished for immortality? He only got his youth back and was still beaten to death by Kid Goku. That should show you how unreliable that "immortality" is.
And there are many kinds of immortality: the Pillar Men's immortality, Deadpool's cursed immortality, magnetic-field-based reconstruction, etc.
In a multiverse-travel story, the fun comes from different power systems intersecting. The protagonist's path is to integrate these systems and walk his own road.
Besides, this is only the first wish.
The story clearly hints we'll be returning to the Dragon Ball world later—when better and more perfect choices will appear.
There are too many details to explain—word limit—so I'll just leave a little here…
Second, the transformation issue.
I actually thought about it for a long time: should the protagonist stay as a Pikachu or transform?
In the end, for narrative logic, he must be able to turn human. In some worlds, appearing as a Pikachu is fine; in others—where everyone is human—a lone Pikachu would be treated as a rare animal.
As for story distribution, it'll probably be half-and-half between the two forms.
And in my early outline, the protagonist's power system was always meant to split into two major branches—his Pikachu form and his human form, each with astonishing potential. It's going to be very fun later.
Also—I'm writing Pikachu not for the sake of "cuteness,"
but because of the Pokémon skill system.
In short: everything is for becoming stronger!
Lastly, I hope readers can be a bit kinder.
After all, we still need to attract new readers—and I will continue working hard to bring you all a better story.
T/N: aye aye aye aye
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