The situation worsens. Got word from Dash Rendar last night that things are getting really bad in Hell, putting the kibosh on my plan to visit and find out just what’s going on. Especially since it turns out Kumasogami broke out through the portal in MY yard. We’ve posted a guard to make sure nothing else gets out.

Luckily, one of our allies got out too. Freddy Krueger, whom I met last summer when I got called down below to gather Legato and his crew, agreed back then to leave us alone. Now, he’s escaped into the Dream Plane to avoid the chaos going on back in Hell, and he’s trying to recruit others to our side, such as the remaining Shichinintai and the last of the original Gung-Ho Guns. Plus a few guys from the Yu-Yu gang. Seems Vash made a few friends in August while he was training under Genkai, learning the technique which helped Kenya regain control of her body from the Emperor.

Unfortunately, we’ve also received word that Naraku, who bears a grudge against E.G. Mine after he stole the remains of Moryomaru and converted them into his new armor, is also on the move... and will most likely take advantage of the chaos in Hell to try and break out so he can get revenge on my team. And he’s probably going to bring a few friends with him. The upcoming battles are going to be some of the hardest we’ve ever fought, and I am NOT looking forward to them.

But we do have some good news. Ryoga consulted with Vash and Knives before bringing in some new allies for our team. I never did explain how he came to join us. Well, it turns out he got really lost, and wandered through at least a dozen alternate realities before he turned up at my house. In those various realities, he made some friends: local versions of the old Nerima Wrecking Crew. He called them up after the attack by Kumasogami, and got them to join us, forming a group we call the “Newrima” Wrecking Crew. Ryoga is leading them, as well as retaining his membership in the Gung-Ho Guns.

And to top it off, they’re all from various fanfics I’ve started working on, but never finished. Go me...

Besides Ryoga, the Newrima Wrecking Crew consists of eight others:

Ranma and Marxan Saotome - When Ranma Saotome fell in the Spring of Drowned Heartless, the magic of the spring split him in two: a Shadow-type Heartless born of his disembodied heart, and the Nobody Marxan, a completely new being who’d been created from his body. Ranma himself was embodied in the Shadow, which changed into a copy of Ranma’s natural human form when it was exposed to hot water and back with cold. After he was introduced to the Tendos, Ranma left on his own, refusing to let them be “tainted” by him (he didn’t understand what was going on). It took a clash with Happosai to bring them together, and the Spring of Drowned Man to fuse them back into one. Ranma then used the Spring of Drowned Twins to separate into two people again, letting Marxan continue to exist as a seperate being. They each have their own fiancées (Marxan’s with Akane Tendo, Ranma has Kodachi Kuno). In addition, they were willingly cursed again. The magic of the springs now causes Marxan to become a Chinese dragon, while Ranma changes into a tiger.

Tatewaki Kuno - His home reality is a cross between the various Marvel universes and the world of Ranma 1/2. This Kuno scion is a mutant, the local version of Psylocke, a telepath with all their standard abilities: he can read and project thoughts, control weak minds, project mental illusions, use psi-bolts to stun or injure the minds of others and project his astral form). He also possesses a couple of unique powers, including...

- “psycho-blast”: a focused beam of directed telepathic energy. Unlike normal telepathic attacks this beam is able to affect the real world, physically knocking foes back as well as attacking their minds. It can even shatter metal.

- Early on, Kuno was able to manifest a “psychic knife”, the full sum of his telepathic powers. It forms a direct link between Kuno and his target. When he developed telekinesis, he combined that power with the psychic knife to form a telekinetic katana, composed of raw psi-energy. At its lowest intensity, the sword acts like his psychic knife did, short-circuiting the victim's nervous system. At its highest intensity, the blade can slice through just about any material, or even just a part of it, such as cutting through body armor while leaving the wearer physically unharmed (but not without a nasty headache). He can also use it to shatter any telepathic power-inhibitors.

- Shadow Travel. Prior to the activation of his telekinesis, Kuno gained the ability to teleport himself or others via shadows. Though not as controlled or precise as variations of teleportation used by others, it can cover huge distances.

Unlike the core reality, this version of Kuno isn’t obsessed with girls. He’s too busy dealing with mastering his powers as they continue to evolve, and tends to brood a lot as a result.

Pantyhose Taro and Rito Revolto - In his world, Ranma took a vacation after defeating Saffron at Jusenkyo. He ended up joining forces with the Power Rangers of Angel Grove. Taro would later be captured by the villains, but was rescued by the auxiliary team. In gratitude, he joined as their unofficial “sixth” member, using his cursed form. After both teams lost their Ranger powers and the main team got a new set, Taro departed on a training journey with an amnesiac Rito Revolto, who looks like a walking skeleton and was the son of the primary villain.

Ukyo Kuonji - In her world, Ukyo was taken to the Saotome family home after Genma took her father’s okonomiyaki cart and ran off. Raised by Nodoka Saotome, Ukyo later visited Jusenkyo with her mother-in-law to be and some friends, where her quick reflexes prevented Nodoka from falling in one of the springs. Unfortunately, she herself fell into the Spring of Drowned Gargoyle as a result. In her cursed form, she possesses wings that allow her to glide, claws that let her scale high surfaces, and a prehensile tail. She also heals rapidly when she switches forms.

Akane Tendo - One of Ryoga’s two love interests, this version was invited to a cosplay party in Nerima one day. She went to Ethan’s, a new costume shop, for her outfit. As luck would have it, she dressed up as Sango the demon slayer from the anime and manga series Inuyasha. And as fate would have it, the owner was a chaos mage who enchanted the costumes, turning the people who wore them into their characters for the night when he triggered the spell. After her Ranma tracked down Ethan and broke the spell, Akane found she’d retained the knowledge, skills and weapon of her costume (a gigantic boomerang named Hiraikotsu). She also carries the memories of Sango and her guilt over the deaths of the taijya’s friends and family, and hatred toward the being (Naraku) who arranged for it to happen. This hatred has extended to all who would deliberately cause pain and suffering on Earth, no matter what reality she’s in.

Hinako Ninomiya - Ten years ago, a twelve-year-old child was lying in a hospital bed, very weak because of an unknown medical condition. She was found and healed by Happosai, an old pervert and founder of Anything Goes Martial Arts. Using pressure points, he altered her metabolism to let her drain ki from another person to rejuvenate herself. However, she stopped aging as a result, except when she used her powers and grew to her natural age. In canon, she debuted at age 22. In this world, she was sent to join the Saotome family on their ten-year training trip, becoming like a big sister to Ranma. During Ryoga’s visit to their world, she befriended him as well.

So, that’s our second team. And we may have more on the way. We aren’t giving up this fight so easily, no matter what!

Until next time, my friends.