"Your such a sweet little girl! Here, have another bun-- for free!"
"Oooo! Golly! Thank you so much!" Ranma took the bun and put it between her teeth.
Yup. When I'm cruising for eats, this girl-body is the way to go. She started to briskly walk through the town market, back to the Tendo Training Hall.

"Pardon me, but you are from Furinkan high school, are you not?" A strange brown haired girl in a long dress uniform asked, as three other men with faces wrapped in bandages stood around her, with serious expressions.
"Please, no need to rush on my account. If I'm not mistaken, we'll be having out match in one week." She said firmly.
"No more talk!" Yelled one bandaged man.
"We've got you-- at last!"

What's with the guys in the bandages? Ranma thought, crouching on the fence near the commotion.

"We're finishing you off here and now!"
"Prepare to die!!"
WHSHHH! The bandaged fighters took out painted clubs from their packages, and dashed to the girl.
The maiden snipped up one of the loose ribbons on them,
"Forgive me. Please, I'v failed to convey my message!!" She screamed whipping out magnficant attacks and movements.
"HYAAAAA!!"

"Huh?" Ranma watched the battle, putting another bun in her mouth.

"If I may restate it," The girl said,
"...Perhaps this or this or THIS will be clearer!" Wild sounds of ribbon smacked the men before her as they scattered away in defense.
SNAP!
Ranma, with no trouble, took the ribbon in her hands and stepped in front of the men.
"Don't you think that's enough?" She asked.
"I mean, you've already won, right?"
There was silence as the girl breathed in, sweating and still...
"You caught that ribbon as if it were nothing." She retorted.
"If you'll forgive me, you seem to be no ordinary girl..."
"Uh, yeah... I guess you could say that!"
"Good... because I prefer not to treat girls..." She whipped out her thin club,
"...With ordinary courtesy!!" She swung out at Ranma, but the worrier ducked, gabbing the girl with her left leg after dogging her attacks.

They both landed silently opposite of each other, with only a few blades of grass to make a sound.
More stillness of the quiet.
"Well. You are very good!" The girl said.
"Remember... I'm called the Black Rose of St. Bacchus's school for girls. Courtney... the Black Rose. Please don't forget it!" She shouted and dashed away, spinning and leaping with every graceful move.

"Oh, how humiliating!" The people with ribbon covered faces cried together on the ground.
"Hey! What's with the crying? Remember-- your men!" Ranma told them calmly.
"That's what you think!"
"We're from the Furinkan gymnastic team!" The took of their bandages, revealing girl faces and more tears.
Uh-oh! These girls... are from my class!


"What is it, girls?" Sofie asked walking inter room, seeing three females crying.
"Sofie!!"
"We've been so humiliated!
"We were ambushed!"
"Now we'll have to withdraw from the match!" They screamed in turn.
"Every member of the team... injured!?... Then... you want me to take your place?" Sofie asked in shock.
"Please, Sofie! There's nothing else we can do!"
"You see, the next match... is rhythmic gymnastic wresting!" The girls pleaded. Sofie and Ranma looked at each other.
"What the heck is that!?" They asked in unison.
"THIS!" One of the gymnastic members held up a diagram of the event.
"The schools' champions fight with the techniques of rhythmic gymnastics!"
"I'm still not sure I get it... but all right! I will avenge you!" Sofie sighed.
"OHHH THANK YOU, SOFIE!!" The girls clutched her and cried with each other.


"You shouldn't have agreed so quick." Ranma told Sofie, as they stood together in the Training Hall, fiddling with the ribbons and clubs.
"Do you even know how to you these things?" Ranma twirled around a tool as it snagged his male clothes.
"Just you watch!" Sofie teased.
Snort! Little waddling tip-tap sounds floated around the room while Duncan in his pig form crawled in to Sofie.
Duncan! Ranma thought.
"Well!" Sofie smiled brightly.
"Where have you been? I'v been so worried about you, P~chan!"
"P~chan!?"
"'P' as in 'Pig.' and 'chan' for 'little.'" She said squeezing and hugging her animal friend.
"Of course." Ranma huffed.

"You just sit here quietly." She cooed setting him down.
"RANMA! Don't you tease him, now!"
Ranma scoffed.
"Yo. Duncan. Looks like even your brain's down to pig-level now." Ranam laughed to him.
GLOMP. Duncan, once again using him sharp pig-teeth, in anger bit Ranma's arm.
"I TOLD YOU NOT TO TEASE HIM!!" Sofie bopped Ranma's head and grabbed her clubs.
"Now watch this!" She leaped into the air, and swished around her clubs.
BONK!...KLATTER...
The thin tools fell to the ground as Sofie stuck her landing.
"Are you supposed to let those drop?"
"Very funny." She blushed.

"Let's try the ribbon."
...
"Are you supposed to get tangled up?"
"SHUT UP!"
Sofie took the hoop in her hands and jumped up, then dove down into it.
CRACK!
"Are you supposed to break the hoop?"
"That does it!!" Sofie stamped, blushing harder.
"I'M A KLUTS I'M A KLUTS I'M A KLUTS!" She cried.
"Hey, what can I do about it?!" Ranma stated in anger, moving away from the sad and violent girl.
"I can instruct you..."
A voice was heard behind her, and Sofie turned around, and saw Duncan smirking in the doorway.
"Duncan...?" Sofie asked wiping a tear away.
"What happened to P~chan?" Ranma asked.
"WHO... is 'P~chan!?'" Duncan blushed grabbing Ranma shirt in threat.
"Yeah. Who is 'P~chan?'" He huffed in reply with no emotion.
"This is so generous of you, Duncan!" Sofie smiled.
"You... you think so?" His face was redder.

"The ribbon." Duncan cracked out in energetic quick attacks at Ranma for deminstration.
"YOW!!" Ranma screamed.
"That was wonderful!" Sofie giggled.
"Gosh..." He sighed with a pink face.
"Why you--!"

Outside of the training hall, night fell over Japan...
So. They've asked for help...
These Furinkan high gymnasts are bad losers.
"Sofia Tendo... Courtney, the Black Rose will cripple you!!" A dark figure shouted pulling over her cape and running off into the dark.