Akane Becomes a Duck

 is the 97th chapter of the manga and the third chapter of the Mousse Returns Arc.

Ranma saves Akane just in the nick of time, but Mousse is spraying the water around wildly, almost hitting Ranma in the process. Shampoo's insults have an effect on Mousse, but Ranma tries to encourage him to do whatever it takes to win Shampoo.

Continuing from the Previous Chapter
As Ranma rushes back to the Circus tent which Akane is being held, the ringmaster of the circus is already preparing the audience for the show. While the ringmaster explains about the pipe above Akane will turn her into a duck, Mousse thinks to himself that when Ranma comes to rescue Akane, it'll be the end of him (Ranma). Akane attempts to escape by trashing about in the tank, but the ringmaster holds on tightly to the tank in order to prevent Akane from doing so.

Just as the large tap above Akane is turned on, Ranma appears and breaks off the end so the water doesn't douse her. Unfortunately, Ranma realises that this'll cause the audience members in front of the pipe to get sprayed. Ranma then desperately tries to stop the water by plugging the pipe with the portion which he kicked off, but this just makes the situation worse as water begins to spray everywhere.

While Ranma attempts to plug the pipe, Mousse shouts a large volume of water from a hose at Ranma, declaring that he fell for his trap and reveals that the water from the pipe was just plain water and he has the real Yazunīchuan spring water is in the hose. As Ranma panics and attempts to avoid the Yazunīchuan, Mousse welcomes Ranma to his "duckhood".

Shampoo Returns
At that moment, Shampoo arrives on the back of a large Tiger. Ranma jumps onto the Tiger with Shampoo, but the Tiger gets sprayed with the Yazunīchuan and turns into a duck, much the audience's awe. Mousse then begins to ask Shampoo why she chose to protect Ranma, he then begins to shake Ranma thinking it to be Shampoo since he's not wearing his glasses. Ranma soon tries of being shook and kicks Mousse towards Shampoo and tells him to ask her himself.

When Mousse puts his glasses back on, he goes over to Shampoo and asks her if she hates him that much. Without a second moment's thought, Shampoo replies that she does hate him. Shampoo's words the echo in Mousse's head and he falls to the floor, he then reminisces about how he watched over Shampoo since they were children, waiting for the day that they'd be one (the truth being that Mousse's bad eyesight made him regularly mistake cattle and pigs for Shampoo).

With the audience in tears at Mousse's ordeal, Ranma walks over and kicks him in the back of his head. He then proceeds to tell Mousse not to give up, and if he really does love Shampoo then should he find and obstacle he must smash through it. Mousse is initially shocked at Ranma cheering him on, he then decides to take Ranma's advise and begins to smash through his obstacle, namely Ranma!

Becoming a Duck
As Ranma desperately avoids Mousse's attacks, Akane crawls out of the tank and calls Mousse a chump for what he did to her. Shampoo, meanwhile, finds a bucket of Yazunīchuan and notes how much Mousse loves her. She then proceeds to attempt to throw the Yazunīchuan water over Akane, but she narrowly avoids it. Akane asks Shampoo what she's doing, to which Shampoo explains she'll introduce Mousse to a new girlfriend... a new duck girlfriend! Shampoo then continues to throw more Yazunīchuan water at Akane. After managing to dodge some of the water, Akane finds herself unable to avoid the bucket which gets throw at her, but Ranma luckily arrives on some and moves Akane out of the way.

Mousse then takes the hose with the Yazunīchuan water and sprays it towards Ranma and Akane. Akane then quickly takes her sandal and throws it at Mousse, causing him to lose his grip on the hose. Ranma then jumps onto the hose so it doesn't spray over the audience, but before he realises it, the water sprays Akane and sends her flying backstage. Ranma rushes after Akane, but all he can find is a duck sat next to Akane's other sandal...

Cast in Order of Appearance

 * Akane Tendo
 * Ranma Saotome (male)
 * Mousse (human)
 * Shampoo (human)