Billy stood in front of the deceptively little and seemingly harmless Ranko Howard. He smirked as she bowed to him and bowed back. The announcer was saying something but the polemaster ignored him, ignored everything but his opponent. "I still remember the first time we fought." He said as he fell back in his fighting stance, his pole ready in front of him.

Ranko matched Billy's smirk as she fell into her own stance, seemingly strong and without much mobility. "I've grown stronger since then." She stated as a matter of fact.

"READY, GO!" The announcer cried out.

Billy wasted no time in delivering a wide horizontal swipe with his weapon. Ranko just had to duck her head to avoid it, the attack meant mostly to test just how fast Ranko's reflexes were. Billy nodded in approval. "I know you're stronger, but that doesn't mean I'll just give up." It was his turn to dodge to the side as Ranko delivered a front kick.

Seeing that Billy effortlessly evaded her attack she had to wonder how much he was holding back on their first fight. "Don't worry. I won't beat you up too badly. Lily would never let me live it down if you got more hurt than necessary."

Right then and there they both stopped smiling and motionlessly started examining each other. The crowd started to protest at the lack of fighting but they ignored them and slowly started to walk in a wide circle.

Ranko knew she had to enter Billy's defenses to be effective. His pole gave him a huge reach advantage but once she managed to get past it she was sure she could overpower her friend. Billy would probably try to keep her at a distance since he was intimately familiar with Geese's fighting style, which was incredibly powerful in close quarters.

Sensing that Billy wouldn't make the first move Ranko decided to attack. She shot forward incredibly fast and seemed to vanish before reappearing in front of Billy, her right fist cocked back to start an attack.

Billy was shocked at seeing Ranko suddenly appear inches from him. He reacted on instinct alone as he saw the punch coming to his jaw and let himself fall back and away from the attack. Before he touched the ground, though, he used his pole to launch himself skywards leading with his feet. He caught Ranko in the jaw and she was sent flying back.

Ranko felt the burning pain on her jaw and opened her eyes just in time to see Billy coming down at her with a kick. Having no leverage in the air all she could do was prepare herself for the blow, which took the air out of her lungs. She managed to roll away from Billy as he smashed his weapon down trying to finish her off. The stone floor cracked slightly with the might behind the strike.

Billy pressed his advantage as best as he could, giving Ranko no chance to recover from his attack. He knew she only needed a second or two to win the fight. He extended his pole forward trying to break her nose and that way limit her vision. He was shocked at what happened.

Ranko saw the attack coming and assumed Atemi Nage Rasen, one of the defensive stances of Geese's style. She redirected the attack, pulling hard on Billy's weapon, and while holding the pole with her right hand she smashed it with her left elbow in the middle segment, breaking it in a shower of splinters.

Billy was left with only half of his weapon. He turned his gaze to see Ranko brake the other half in two more pieces and throw them aside. Billy took a step back and gulped, he was a decent fighter in hand to hand fighting, but no challenge for the participants of the tournament.

Having the advantage Ranko didn't waste any time in charging in. Billy tried to defend himself with what was left of his pole but on the first combination he lost his grip on it. Out of desperation he went for a sweep, trying to gain some breathing room. Ranko jumped over the sweep but landed earlier than he expected, her feet planting themselves on his exposed leg. He winced in pain and grabbed her leg for a throw, then everything turned black.

Ranko was careful not to land on Billy's knee. She smiled when she felt Billy take a strong hold of her left leg. Before he could manage to apply any real strength to his throw the redhead smashed a fist crackling with energy on either side of Billy's head. He went out like a light and fell on his back.

Ranko heard the crowd cheering wildly for her but ignored it. She turned around and walked back to her corner, wondering just how angry Lily would be with her for beating up her brother. Even if it wasn't anything serious Lily wouldn't see it that way.

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Terry looked at the redhead with growing respect. "Geese trained her well." He said. By now Andy had been calmed down since Mai was already with him. She didn't take more than a few minutes to regain consciousness even if Krauser did a serious number on her.

Joe turned to his friend and nodded. "She's not even breathing hard after the first two rounds. Do you think Mary'll be able to beat her?"

Terry shrugged and turned to see Mary stepping on the platform. "I don't know. Mary is a better fighter than Billy, but we don't know what this Ranko is really capable of. She's faster than any of us, but that's all I've been able to see so far." He frowned, thinking back to the previous fight. Ranko started losing the match, but eventually got the upper hand and knocked Billy out. He needed to see more to be sure, but he suspected Geese's 'daughter' studied her opponent's style and then exploited its weaknesses.

Andy, Joe and Mai loudly cheered for Mary while Terry just gave her the thumbs up and a smile. Mary winked back and turned to face her opponent.

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The Rugal Team didn't exchange a word and Ranko stepped forward for the third time. She studied the blonde in front of her and decided she was facing an experienced fighter. It seemed like everyone in the King of Fighters Tournament was either extremely powerful or extremely skilled. Or both.

Mary watched as Ranko walked into the platform. She had seen the way she dealt with Yamasaki and understood it had been for personal reasons. The redhead was too familiar with Yamasaki's style of fighting to be her first fight with the Yakuza. She then took on Billy destroying his weapon and any advantage coming with it. Ranko was not someone to take lightly and she prepared herself for anything.

The announcer didn't think he needed to say a word since the crowd was completely wild. He simply started the fight. "READY, GO!" And he smiled as the crowd got even louder. This was the most audience they had had in the entire history of the tournament, so why would he need to waste his breath if the crowd was already wild?

Mary and Ranko remained motionless for a few seconds, continuing to look for possible weaknesses. The blonde studied Ranko's stance closely, noticing it was very slightly different from Geese's. Her stance was a little more relaxed, though to the untrained eye it was the same as her father's. Ranko's face was expressionless while her blue eyes revealed the burning desire to fight. Mary knew people who had those same eyes, in fact she was one of them, and knew she wasn't facing an ordinary opponent.

Ranko focused her eyes on Mary's own as if she was trying to read into her very soul. *Is every fighter in this tournament a warrior?* She asked herself with wonder and excitement. So far she had met many of the fighters, and they all shared a passion for fighting that was rare to come across. So many people like that in the same place was astounding.

Mary decided to take the offensive. She had seen how Ranko was always the one to start her fights with incredible speed and didn't want any surprises. Taking two quick steps forward she launched a kick to the redhead's midsection.

Ranko blocked the kick and following jab with ease and barely managed to evade a slide by jumping high in the air. *That was good. She nearly got me with it.*

Mary recovered from her slide and turned to see Ranko land softly and turn around to face her. She was a little surprised Ranko managed to jump over her slide, but then remembered Ranko's speed and decided to be more careful. *Wait a minute, I haven't seen anyone attack Ranko from above.* She was very careful to keep her thoughts hidden from her expression, Ranko's eyes were still on her own and she didn't want to give away her intentions..

Ranko started advancing on the blonde. *If she won't attack any more I'll finish this.* She was surprised when Mary suddenly jumped up and went for a flying kick. Pleasantly surprised.

Mary knew she had made a mistake when Ranko smirked evilly. Her suspicions were further confirmed when Ranko assumed another defensive stance and blocked the kick with more strength than she should be able to have with her small body. With a twist of her wrist Mary was sent flying back spiraling and landed badly on her head, the spiraling making it impossible to roll with the fall. She managed to roll away from Ranko just as a hand smashed down where her head was. *Now what?* She desperately asked herself. She knew she had no chance of winning against Rugal and Iori after Ranko, but she didn't want to lose to the redhead after she had fought both Billy and Yamasaki. As Ranko took a step forward she took a step back, her mind going over all she knew of Geese's fighting style and looking for possible weaknesses. She couldn't take another step before Ranko was already on her attacking from everywhere at the same time. She did her best to defend herself while her mind continued working on her dilemma.

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Terry frowned at the way the fight progressed. "She's fighting seriously now." He whispered to himself.

Next to him Joe, Andy and Mai nodded. This fight was a lot different from the one against Billy. Mary hadn't been able to score a hit yet and she was a very balanced fighter.

Terry couldn't help but think back to his fight with Geese. By all rights he should have lost yet he somehow managed to come out on top. Geese was a superb fighter and it seemed like his daughter was no slouch herself. Mary was very good, but Ranko was better. It seemed like Geese, and now Ranko as well, were indeed superior fighters like Geese boasted. Even if they didn't fully understand the principles of the school they had mastered their own version, not based on being one with nature. He was looking forward to facing either of them.

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Ranko was impressed with the blonde's fighting skills. She'd managed to keep a solid defense for over five minutes of constant onslaught. She'd taken a few hits, but nothing serious.

Mary's muscles were burning in pain as she continued to fend against what seemed like a girl with eight arms and legs. The fact that each blow had enough power to kill a normal person didn't help matters either. It wasn't like Ranko's arms and legs blurred, but wherever Mary thought there would be an opening another of Ranko's attacks was coming. She couldn't remember seeing a fighter with such a fluid style before. A style that she was starting to fear. She'd recognized several Atemi stances in Ranko's form that were very powerful counter-moves to different attacks. Mary even had to pull back her punches a few times in order to avoid getting into a trap. So far she had been on the receiving end of nearly everything Ranko threw. The redhead wasted no move and continued to systematically wear down her defenses, it was just a matter of time before Mary lost due to the exertion.

But the blonde finally had come across a plan. As she ducked one of Ranko's kicks she prepared herself to gamble everything into one move. She had noticed that when Ranko used the Atemi Nage Rasen it was a reflex. She would exploit it for all it was worth.

Out of instinct she suddenly jumped up and saw as Ranko reflexively went into Atemi Nage Rasen. The shock on the redhead's blue eyes when she landed in front of her without throwing an attack was all the indication she needed to know she had her chance to get back into the fight.

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"She fell for it." Iori commented casually.

Rugal nodded. "Mary Ryan's next attack will be painful."

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Mary jumped and as she was going up locked her ankles on either side of Ranko's neck, bringing her up as well. She twisted in midair taking Ranko down on her head against the floor. A resounding crack was heard, followed by silence, as everyone saw Ranko's body fall limply after being smashed down by Mary's special technique.

Mary rolled back and studied the redhead carefully. She knew because of Ranko's chi level that the fight was far from over.

For a moment it seemed as if Mary had won the fight, but after a couple of seconds Ranko started to move again. She got up slowly and rubbed her neck. "That was a great move." She complimented with a small smile. Mary couldn't help but smile back and Ranko continued. "But now I have to use one of my own special techniques to get even." And with that she blurred forward.

Mary prepared one of her own counter-moves, remembering back to how Ranko attacked Billy in the same way. She couldn't hope to see the incoming attack, but gambled on it coming to her jaw. She assumed her counter-stance and hoped she was right about this one.

Everyone gasped as they saw Ranko reappear behind Mary. They were expecting for her to attack directly again, yet the redhead had somehow managed to end up behind the blonde fighter. When her right hand started crackling with dark energy a sinking feeling set in everyone's stomachs. *She can't know THAT move!* Was a thought that coursed through more than one mind.

Mary felt the energy buildup coming from behind and understood her mistake. She didn't expect for Ranko to use the same tactic she had fallen against. Now she was virtually defenseless to whatever Ranko planned to do. She paled when Ranko called out her attack. This was going to REALLY HURT!

Ranko started building up energy even as she was still approaching her opponent. She would have smiled at seeing Mary's counter-stance if it wasn't for the fact that she needed all her concentration on what she was doing. The move she was about to use was very draining while she needed to keep chi powering her legs unless she wanted them to brake under the incredible strain she was putting them through. It had taken her a while to increase her running speed to her current level, and even then it drained her to keep it even for a couple of seconds. Now running around someone and preparing one of her strongest techniques at the same time was taking up all of her concentration.

She stopped inches from Blue Mary's back, her fist ready to deliver the powerful attack. She raised it and slammed it down on the floor. "RAGING STORM!" Even if her voice had less power than Geese's own, the effect of the technique was the same. A literal storm of energy rose from the point were she struck down, showering her surroundings with destructive energy. Mary was caught in the blast and propelled against one of the transparent walls. She crashed there and the cracking of bones was quite audible for everyone. Even if she had been conscious after Ranko's attack, which she was not, she would have been knocked out against the wall. She rebounded off the wall and dropped to the ground limply, landing in a heap and with several broken bones.

The announcer, shocked that such a cute little girl could do something like that, remained silent for a few seconds and finally spoke through the sound system. "Winner: Ranko Howard of the Rugal Team! The Rugal Team will fight in the next round." The crowd went wild and started chanting the redhead's name as she waited patiently for the walls to be lowered.

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Rugal smirked as the little redhead walked past him without acknowledging his presence, Iori silently walking by her side. "Quite a show you gave, girl." He commented casually as he followed. "Though you took your time. You could've finished the fights earlier if you really tried." He teased, knowing she had only been serious when she finished Mary off.

Ranko stopped and turned to glare at him once again. Her blue eyes burning with such intensity that Rugal was taken aback and despite himself gulped nervously. He was confident in his own abilities to beat the young redhead, yet her eyes were very unnerving. Ranko turned around and resumed walking away. Rugal could see a faint smirk on Iori's face as the man turned to follow his teammate. The organizer of the tournament couldn't help but wonder what was going on. Ranko's behavior had turned even more vicious than before after her fight with Mary. Shaking his head he decided to keep a close eye on her during the tournament. He didn't put it past Geese to team him up with an assassin to get rid of him, even if they were on good terms. *I would do it myself.* He thought just as he returned to his resting area.

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Iori smirked at seeing Rugal's face. He had reacted more or less the same way the first time he saw the change after Ranko used one of her special techniques. That little lapse had cost him severely. He sure was glad to be of Orochi blood, he healed faster that way.

"Mary's a good fighter." Ranko suddenly said. They had reached the rest area and Rugal had gone over to his chair to watch. He was out of earshot with the roar of the crowds as the next fight started.

The Middle Age Team was facing the Art of Fighting Team. It seemed like Takuma Sakasaki gave his daughter Yuri some lessons in karate during the first round. While Yuri was faster and had good form Takuma's form was much better and his experience proved to be too much for the youngest Sakasaki.

Iori didn't part his gaze from the fight. "She is. Even if her power level isn't up to par with some of us she makes up for it with a very balanced fighting style and some really damaging moves."

Ranko massaged the back of her neck with her left hand. "Tell me about it." She whispered. Her tone of voice was cold, but Iori was used to it. "This tournament is becoming interesting. I'm eager to fight more opponents to see how good they are."

Iori nodded. "Just let us have some of the fun too. You didn't have to fight all three of them." He said with a smirk, which disappeared as he seriously asked. "By the way, how's your ankle? You must have strained it in your fight with Blue Mary."

"It hurts a little, but nothing serious." She suddenly smiled teasingly, though her eyes still retained that evil light. "What, are you worried about me?"

Iori smirked back demeaningly. "Not at all. I just want you to be in perfect health after we finish this tournament. I want that rematch to be fair."

Ranko only rolled her eyes and resumed watching the fight. Takuma was now fighting Robert Garcia and doing a remarkable job. Even though Robert was good he couldn't get the upper hand on his sensei. The fight was much more even than the one with Yuri, though.

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Terry, Andy, Joe and Mai were outside the infirmary waiting for a report on Mary's condition. As soon as the fight was over she was taken in and not a word had left the room. "I can't believe Geese would actually teach that to his daughter!" Andy said. "He didn't want there to be anyone as strong as he was."

"Andy." Mai whispered as she placed an arm around his waist. He was somewhat calmed by the gesture and turned to look at Terry. The eldest Bogard was leaning on the wall, his expression unreadable.

The others gave him worried glances. They all knew he cared for Mary a great deal, even if he did his best to avoid any kind of romantic involvement with her.

It was ironic in some estrange way. Geese Howard killed Terry's father and first love in front of his very eyes. Now Geese's daughter put Terry's love, even if he vehemently denied it, in critical condition.

They all hoped Mary would make it. They all liked her as a good friend and neither thought Terry would survive if anything happened to her. He was strong, but the old wound couldn't be reopened without being lethal.

Joe sat down on a chair and went over the fight in his mind. He remembered every move Ranko made and came to the conclusion that she was a little different from Geese. She fought a little more offensively, maybe because she didn't have the strength to be blocking as much as him. Her speed was incredible, but her attacks weren't as strong as Geese's. Maybe the differences existed because of Ranko's gender. She had adjusted her style of fighting to be more efficient with her body.

Joe frowned when another doubt reached his mind. *How can one so young be so skilled?* She definitely needed to be extremely skilled to make the changes to Geese's fighting style. Joe snorted at the thought of Geese Howard creating a variant just for her. *You're a mystery, Ranko Howard.* He thought as he turned back to Terry. *A mystery that won't live long if Mary dies.*

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Wolfgang Krauser watched in amusement as Geese did his best to conceal his anger. His half-brother seemed to be perfectly calm, but he knew better. "You trained her well. She seems to definitely have control over your most powerful technique." His smile widened when he noticed Geese's eyebrow twitch. He was sure he hit a sore spot. "I wonder, what else did you teach her?"

Geese's expression suddenly turned into a wide smile. The same smile he had after killing Jeff Bogard. He still was angry at her for killing Yamazaki, but the fight with Mary had washed out most of his anger.

Krauser recognized Geese's emotion not to be anger, but something else he didn't believe possible. "What are you smiling about?" He asked wondering if he was wrong. Geese couldn't be feeling the way he looked.

Geese turned to his half-brother just as Takuma finished off Robert. "I didn't teach her that technique." He said with that same smile. "I only used it on her once."

Krauser remained motionless for a couple of seconds, then he blinked and stared at Geese some more. "What?" He asked dumbly.

Geese turned back to the fighting. Ryo Sakasaki was overpowering his father. It seemed like Takuma was feeling the strain of facing his third opponent in a row. "She learned that technique from having it used on her only once. It's the first time I see it from this point of view, though."

Krauser recovered from the shock and turned to the fight as well. "I wonder if she would fight me. She seems to have a lot of potential."

Geese nodded. "I started training her because I sensed something in her. She's just like me." Long silence as they both looked towards the fight but didn't really see it, their thoughts on other things.

"She's also your heir." The bigger man stated. The silence that followed was answer enough for him. With that he started thinking on his own life. Maybe it was time that he found a heir himself. Of course his heir would be his own son, so that meant he needed to find a woman strong enough to give birth to the next Heir of Strolheim. It would also have to be a woman he could love. Even if his father was a heartless bastard while he lived, Wolfgang wanted his child to have a loving family, something he never had. He didn't come to this conclusion easily, but through years of seriously thinking about his life. Now the complicated part was finding that woman.

Geese thought about how much Ranma had improved in his training. It had taken years, but it was much less time than he expected. Ranma had passed his final test learning the Raging Storm. Geese didn't want to admit it, but he was proud of the boy. He was a worthy heir. A man who would carry his legacy.

Neither noticed the fight coming to an end. Ryo Sakasaki couldn't keep up with Heidern's speed and reach advantage. They were both too immersed in their own thoughts.

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Terry looked up when the door finally opened. Andy and Mai turned their heads in unison. Joe stood up and locked his gaze on the doctor.

The man stood there for a moment and then spoke.


END PART 10


Author's notes: Cliffhanger? Sure. I'm sorry but I couldn't help myself, this seemed like a good place to end it.

The fights continue and some of the characters start to have more active roles.

How many of you saw this coming? Krauser wanting to have not only a son, but a family? Hey, if you know the guy's story it makes sense. Geese proud of Ranma? Every man wants to leave a mark. Ranma will be his legacy in the martial arts.

If you're wondering when Kasumi Todo will appear, you'll have to wait until after the tournament. Sorry but that was needed to explain Ranma's behavior and relation to the other fighters.

See you in Part 11!