Anime-based Ranma 1/2 Oneshot- need opinions

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

This is my first time posting to this category, so I'm sorry if I say/do something wrong. As the title suggests, I have a potential Ranma 1/2 oneshot (with some possibility of developing into something more) in the back of my head, and I'd like your opinions on whether or not it's an idea worth pursuing and, if so, how you would suggest I make it work.

The basic premise is this (just a warning, but I work with the anime as my "base", the setting is post-season 7): infuriated by his latest attempts, Shampoo verbally berates Mousse to finally give up and leave her alone. Despite her vehemence, Mousse refuses to get over his blind obsession, and attacks Ranma the instant he steps through the doors of the cat cafe (bad timing on his part).

Annoyed but resigned at this latest failure, Shampoo resumes serving the customers. As she does so, one table mentions how lucky it is for Ranma that the "Kiss of Marriage"* is only viable to Joketsuzoku women. Shampoo idly corrects them that it actually applies to all Joketsuzoku warriors**, then has a brainstorm on how to get kill two birds with one stone. By arranging for Mousse to have a formal match with one of her rivals for Ranma's heart, and assuring he loses. After some thought, she deduces there's only one real candidate; Ukyo***.

This is all I have so far, and I'd like your opinions. If you think it's an idea worth pursuing, the basic idea I got is that Shampoo concocts a more detailed plan with Cologne to arrange things to happen... but I don't really have a clue what sort of plan they could devise. Could you make any suggestions?

*I know the term is fanon, but I don't really know what else to call it.
**I know that this isn't canon, but really we don't actually know anything about Joketsuzoku or its laws, other than the few fragments in manga or anime.
***Ukyo is the only real candidate because: A- she has an official bond to Ranma and B- she's skillful enough that she could actually fight him. Kodachi isn't really a competitor in anyone's mind but her own, while Akane's chance of winning against Mousse is (in Shampoo's opinion) doubtful, not to mention Shampoo doesn't want to earn Ranma's animosity by causing that sort of situation.

[mondu_the_fat]

By arranging for Mousse to have a formal match with one of her rivals for Ranma's heart, and assuring he loses. After some thought, she deduces there's only one real candidate; Ukyo***.

Because its a formal match, it would mean that both parties will know the details regarding the premise and consequences, particularly Mousse.

I can't see how either Mousse or Ukyo will agree to it. Even if they were somehow blackmailed or tricked (shampoo telling Mousse that if he wins, she will be hers), Mousse would still not give up his pursuit of Shampoo if he loses, nor Ukyo Ranma whether she wins or loses.

[rmt]

By arranging for Mousse to have a formal match with one of her rivals for Ranma's heart, and assuring he loses. After some thought, she deduces there's only one real candidate; Ukyo***.

I'm still not clear on her motivations for setting Mousse up with Ukyou. Is it just to get rid of Mousse? If so, who the suitor is not really important, as long as they are stronger than him (which Ukyou isn't).

If she's trying to hurt Ranma or remove a rival, I suspect even Shampoo's clever enough to realise that Ukyou is not a real threat in rival terms.

while Akane's chance of winning against Mousse is (in Shampoo's opinion) doubtful, not to mention Shampoo doesn't want to earn Ranma's animosity by causing that sort of situation.

I still think this is the scenario that Shampoo would go for. She seems to recognise fairly early on that Akane is the one that Ranma likes (she tries to wipe Akane's memory, tries to kill her and blame it on Tarou), so she is the one that would be targeted.

As for not wanting to earn Ranma's animosity, I suspect she'd just try to set up the match on the sly and hope that Ranma couldn't pin any evidence on her.

Of course, any such plan is doomed to fail anyway. Neither Ukyou or Akane would allow themselves to be pushed around by Joketsuzoku law any more than Ranma does. But that could be part of the fun of the story!

[Neko-]

Mousse is half-blind... get him to sign a paper saying he'll concede to the match as 'formal'. All kinds of ways to get him to sign something... Why just say it's for Shampoo's Martial Arts Autograph Collection... that she just started... He'll be overjoyed and sign right away

As to Ukyo... No need to formally invite her into the match. Since she won't be liable to uphold the law of the Joketsuzoku, she's not really bound by the formality of it all. If however it is a part of the law that both parties have to formally accept...

Get Copycat-Ken or something to challange Ukyo on Mousse's behalf? Make sure Mousse destroys part of Ukyo's restaurant next time he goes after Ranma? Get Mousse to hug Ukyo and say something to the effect that 'Shampoo is better built' (worked for Ranma in episode 1)? Ask Ukyo for a duck-okonomiyaki while making sure there is no duck in storage, splash Mousse and offer him up as an ingredient? Wait... that last one is too far out there, and if put into effect would likely get Mousse to officially challange Ukyo.

[WG_Writer]

If however it is a part of the law that both parties have to formally accept...

I doubt this is a problem, after all if both needed to accept then Ranma would not be in the position with Shampoo that he is. Simply tricking Mousse should be enough.

[Neko-]

Officially there was no challange for the whole Shampoo feud:

See here

Ranma stated that if she won the food, by defeating Shampoo there wouldn't be a problem. So that kinda begs to hoist up the fact that even when NOT knowing about the laws, a defeat is a defeat. Challenges are not needed.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

Just in case it clarifies matters; by "formal" I mean an official match, rather than the spontaneous brawls that tend to occur. Like how Ryoga tends to send challenge letters before hand, while Kuno simply strikes at Ranma.

Ukyo doesn't have to know that beating Mousse like this will mean he has to marry her- I somehow doubt many (if any) of the outsiders "married" through this custom knew about it before hand. She just has to agree to an officially decreed match with Mousse, rather than simply pounding him into the ground like a stake with her battle-spatula.

Mousse, on his part, doesn't have to intend for the match to be a marriage match; he simply needs to fight her in a formal match under Cologne's eye, and the matriarch will "remind" him what the law says must occur for a Joketsuzoku warrior beaten by an opposite-gender outsider.

Now, you're right, Ukyo has no reason to follow the Joketsuzoku customs. However, Mousse does; the likely thing is to bring up that any attempts to "cuckold" his new wife will be dealt with most severely by Shampoo and/or Cologne. He doesn't have to marry Ukyo, but as long as they're considered married amongst the Joketsuzoku, he can't chase Shampoo. And if he decides to make the best of things by trying to transfer his attention to Ukyo, so much the better for Shampoo.