DISCLAIMER: I do not own Street Fighter or anything else claimed by Capcom. This is a story scanned DIRECTLY from my site.

CHAPTER 1: A Secret Tournament

It was late at a dark night. Three teenage boys lived in the Shotokan castle that nested in the woods. Ken Masters was someone who always wanted adventure just like his friend, Dan Hibiki. Ryu Hoshi, however, was the strong, silent type. Nevertheless, they were good pals.

Ryu was a handsome young Japanese man (I'm not gay!) with dark brown hair, his eyes matched with his hair, he was quite muscular, he wore a white uniform, and he wore a white strip over his head. Ken was an American with more sharp yellow hair than blond hair, though his eyes were brown, he had long hair with a red band covering the tip, and a red uniform. He also had a girlfriend named Eliza, though they don't get much chances to see each other. Dan had some Chinese blood, and he had a ponytail… his uniform was pink?

Ken was staying up late. He read a magazine, The Fighting Times, and found out about this Street Fighter tournament. It was being held by the great Viktor Sagat himself. The boys and their master Gouken have heard about Sagat. He is said to be the strongest fighter in the world! He woke up Ryu and Dan and told them this information.

"Oh Ken", said Ryu with a yawn, "Couldn't you tell us this in the morning?"

"Apparently not, Ryu", said Ken with a grin, "I told you two this because… WE'RE GOING TONIGHT!"

"Ken, that is crazy. We're not just going to sneak out and act stupid over some tournament."

"Good god, you're a lot like Master Gouken. Me and Dan want an adventure BADLY, and you've always wanted to become a true warrior… we will face the best fighter around, Ryu!"
"………Alright, fine………"

"Yeah!" said Dan with excitement, "Let's go!"

So the three managed to get out of the house, and rushed through the woods to the tournament down in Kabuki Town.

As they went to the sign-in the next day, they marked themselves as three. Depending on the challenges, they will be a tag team, a dramatic battle team, a team battle team, and they'll choose which one will face the mighty Sagat. The first match was against Retsu, whom was accompanied by Geki and Lee. It was a dramatic battle type.

The fight was about to start…

"Snotty pupils of Gouken, eh," said Retsu, "You three will lose."

"Bring it on, you freak with giant eyebrows", taunted Dan.

"………."

"Okay, guys," said Ken, "Ready? Okay… Ryu, you go after the eyebrow jerk. Dan, you go get the ninja dude. I will go after the fat guy."

Ready… and… FIGHT!

Ryu threw a kick at Retsu. Retsu was about to do a counterattack when Ryu did a Shoryu-Ken. It wasn't quite that strong, but it was strong enough to blow Retsu off and land hard on the ground. Retsu was moaning, but then he rose back up and did a strike on Ryu. Retsu walked over to Ryu with a terrible grin. Ryu looked injured, but then opened his eyes for about a second, and did a Hadou-Ken. The blast was pretty big… Retsu has got to be KO'd! And so he was.

Ken and Lee's battle was just too easy. It was merely a heavy punch in Lee's relaxed stomach, with a combination of a palm strike then a Tatsumaki Kick. TOO EASY!

Dan, however, wasn't doing too well. Judging by his poor Hadou-Ken attacks, he only blew a Hadou-Ken that was like a short-range bubble. Geki then slammed Dan to the end of the court. "Dan!", cried Ryu and Ken. "Come on, Ken! We've got to help him!" Ryu was on one side of Geki and Ken was on the other. Then they both did a jumping kick on Geki's face. WHAM!

"WINNERS: RYU HOSHI, KEN MASTERS, AND DAN HIBIKI!" Cried the P.A.

"That was a pretty tough battle", replied Dan.

"Best for you to say, Dan", teased Ken.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean!"

Ryu and Ken laughed.

"Well", Ryu started, "We should get a good rest. Tomorrow, we face Mike, Joe, and Eagle in a tag battle. Let's go find our beds."

Meanwhile, back to Gouken…

"Sneaky kids… I want to be mad, but I just cannot blame them for some reason… In fact, I find humor in this. Maybe I should go to the tournament to see their progress…"

CHAPTER 2: The story of a brother

The next day, the three woke up at around the same time. They instantly got up to eat breakfast, excited about their next battle.

Mike, Joe, and Eagle were ready. Yet, so were the boys. Up in the audience of the stadium, they thought the crowd couldn't be any bigger. They were wrong.

By merely one person, the crowd got wider, and that was because of Gouken himself.

"Oh, my boys… good luck." A tag battle; three against three.

"THIS BATTLE IS GOING TO GO WILD!" Cried the P.A.

"Just puny teenagers", said Mike to Eagle and Joe, "We can defeat them easily!"

FIGHT!

Ryu vs. Mike

Ryu's HP – 97/100, Mike's HP – 75/100. "Eagle!"

Ryu's HP – 76/100, Eagle's HP – 90/100. "Dan!"

Dan's HP – 0/100 (got finished with a strong fist), Eagle's HP – 10/100. Ken was called up.

Ken's HP – 90/100, Eagle's HP – 0/100 (got finished with a Shoryu-Ken). Joe was called up.

Ken's HP – 75/100, Joe's HP – 90/100. "Ryu!"

Ryu's HP – 97/100, Joe's HP – 0/100 (got finished with a Hadou-Ken). Mike was called back up.

Ryu's HP – 10/100, Mike's HP – 0/100 (got finished with a jumping heavy kick).

WINNERS: Ryu, Ken, and Dan!

"Great job, my lads!"

Ryu and Ken escorted Dan up the stairs and met up with Gouken.

"Gouken?"

"Yes, it's me. I knew you three would be here. However, I am really impressed with your skills. But be careful; Emperor Sagat is a very powerful opponent. Come on, I'll help you three to your room."

Proud by their own victory, the three were sitting cross-legged in their room with Gouken.

"Oh yeah", started Ken, "I know that it is very random and it came to the top of my head, but I was curious… Did you have family?"

Gouken opened his mouth ready to speak, but then he stopped and sighed.

"Alright, this is not a very happy tale. Ahem. Okay… I had a brother and a father. My father taught me and my brother the style of Shotokan. Note that I am—or was—older than my brother. His name was Akuma, and my father's name was Goutetsu. Now, Akuma and I were pretty different when it came to the view of martial arts. I was someone who thought of martial arts to brighten spirits and defend more. Akuma, on the other hand, desired only power and destruction to fight. He was jealous of me because he thought that I was better than him. I told him before that it doesn't matter who's better, but he was power-hungry. So, he heard of a forbidden move that could kill someone in fifteen whole hits. It was from the power of the dark arts of Shotokan, or the "Dark Hadou". He performed this move and killed our own father, Goutetsu. After he did it, he was changing. The move must have released the demons that were trapped in the move, and they haunted his body. His hair looked like fire, his eyes turned red, his uniform turned as black as ashes, and there was a "ten" symbol burning through his body. He, himself, then became a demon. Now he still seeks to kill me… after forty years. He still searches for me."

"Why was the move forbidden, master?" asked Ryu.

"Because the move can also kill the one who performs it. Akuma doesn't believe so, and still uses the move to make him stronger."

"He may also seek to kill us, too, wouldn't he?"

"I do not know for sure. But only when you are much stronger. Akuma desires nothing more nor less than a true battle."

"Did you have a mother, master?"

"She died by a deep illness. My father loved her very much. I loved her, and believe it or not, so did Akuma. It looks like he was angry ever since… Akuma had a good heart before it happened. But now he has changed. And so… it may be a long time before we meet again."

CHAPTER 3: Master Gen

So… Gouken's brother is a demon…

Maybe I shouldn't get stronger, thought Ryu, My friends need me… probably. Then again, I mean nothing to this Earth. If I'm going to die, it will be in a worthy battle.

"I understand what you are thinking, Ryu", said Gouken, "But you have no clue what you mean to your friends, me, and even the world. I see good potential in you."

"Oh yeah? Well how so?"

"You three are the greatest students I recall having."

"But you said that it doesn't matter who is stronger."

"I know. I wasn't necessarily talking in comparison."

"……..?……."

"Oh, never mind. Besides, I'm sure that my friend, Gen, would see great potential in you. He, too, teaches a student. She has great fighting skills, but she only wants to use it for revenge against M. Bison. You see… um… oh, forget it. By the way, I've heard that he is an observer at this tournament."

"I would like to meet him soon."

"Of course. I'll go find him."

After Gouken left…

"Girl! Tough! Beautiful!" exclaimed Ken.

"Um, Ken", said Dan, "He didn't mention her beauty."

"So what? If a chick is tough, then she is pretty!"

"Ken, you already have a girlfriend, Eliza."

"Err… that's true, isn't it? I guess she goes to you then, Dan."

"I don't quite have the time. Then she goes to…"

"Let her control her own will", said Ryu, "She doesn't have to be owned by anyone."

Then Gouken comes in.

"Hey there, lads! Well Ryu, he has always wanted to meet you. He will be happy to see you right now at room CA6."

"Alright, master."

And as Ryu left…

"I bet he will get to talk with the babe!" whispered Ken to Dan.

As Ryu was going up to the room, he was thinking about Akuma again. As much as he hated to admit it, he was a pretty skillful fighter. If he has enough fighting skills, he may meet Akuma for the fight of his life… soon.

Ryu politely knocked on door CA6. The door was opened by an old man wearing purple. He had a long white beard and eyes that showed sign of sickness.

"Hey, are you Ryu?"

"Yes, I am. I take it that you are Master Sifu Gen?"

"Judging by my old age?"

"Well, no. I just…"

"I'm just playing with you, my boy! Come on in!"

Gen offered Ryu to sit down. Ryu declined, but then Gen reasoned for Ryu to relax after the battle. So Ryu accepted.

"Ryu, I want you to meet my greatest student, Chun-Li Xiang."

All of a sudden, a Chinese girl was standing next to him. She had a pale face, a nice blue outfit, and muscular thighs and legs. Damn, thought Ryu. He couldn't help but think that she was the most beautiful figure he had ever seen.

"Hello. I saw you in those first two battles before. Very impressive work."

"Err… thanks."

"What was your name again?"

"Ryu. Ryu Hoshi."

"I like that name… Well, I'll leave you and Sifu Gen alone. I look forward to seeing your next battle against Birdie tomorrow. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Ms. Xiang."

The girl entered her room. Miss Xiang… What a gentleman, thought Chun-Li, He's pretty cute, too.

"That was strange", said Gen.

"What's strange?"

"She is never usually so anxious."

"How so?"

"Well… when she was only seven years old, her father was on an operation against 'Shadaloo'. It is also known as 'Shadowlaw'. It is run by no other than General Major Bison himself. For almost a year, her father never returned. So Chun-Li went to find her father. She finally found Bison and discovered this truth; he was killed by Bison himself."

"Oh dear. I'm so sorry."

"Ever since, Chun-Li wanted me train her until she was prepared to kill Bison for what he did. Since then, I have never seen a smile from her. Ever." Suddenly, Ryu was tensing.

"How dare a man to harmpeople. I already hate him. I will kill him if he bothers anyone again. I cannot tolerate drug lords."

There was no way that Chun-Li did not hear this.

"He… he will? Especially since I would never allow anyone to kill him for me? Wow!"

Chun-Li rushed out her door and hugged Ryu really tight.

"Ryu, you're the greatest!"

CHAPTER 4: One sees potential, yet one doesn't

"Enough, Chun-Li", said Gen.

It took a while, but then she let go. She had a slight blush in her face. Then she went back to her room.

"Now then. Gouken told me that you wanted to visit me so I can read your potential. Right now, especially after the battles, I see that you have extraordinary potential."

"But Ken and Dan did most of the work!"

"You think so, eh? Actually, without you, they would never have reached the skill of a warrior like you. I believe that you can defeat Kickboxing Emperor Viktor Sagat and beyond. As much as you cannot admit it, you have terrific spirit and a fantastic heart. Now, did Gouken mention his younger brother, Akuma?"

"Yes."

"Did he mention that he killed Goutetsu and plans to kill Gouken?"

"Yes, he did. I don't feel good about it."

"Did he mention that Akuma also plans to kill me?"

"WHAT! No, he didn't!"

"Tsk, tsk. Now brace yourself for this question: did you know that he believes that me and Gouken are not a very good challenge, and mostly seeks… you?"

"…………" Plainly, Ryu was speechless.

"We did not mention this to you to just compliment, but as well as warning you."

"In that case… I should reject myself from the tournament?"

"I don't think so. I seek for you to become THE true fighter of all fighters."

"You know… if I can get Gouken out of here and I defeat Sagat, I can save Gouken's life."

"It will not matter either way. I trust that you can defeat Akuma; 'The supreme master of the fist.' Maybe even before he reaches Gouken."

"What about you?"

"Oh my dear boy. I'm old. My time is already almost up."

"But then… so is Gouken's!"

"You'll have to learn how life goes, Dragon. Do you realize why your parents named you that? Because we all expected you to be a great and worthy martial artist. You represent the Japanese dragon's fist! We know!"

"……Sifu…you have been giving me the best information I can get. How can I ever thank you?"

"The only thing I would like from you is to keep fighting and defeat Sagat."

"Thank you. Have a good night, master Gen."

"Good night, Ryu. Good luck tomorrow."

Ryu was on his way to his room, when he was bumped into.

"Oof!" The man that he bumped into was probably about 7"2! He had an eye patch and had no hair. He was dramatically scarred as well.

"Watch where you are going kid! Why, I ought to… Huh? Wait… you're that kid who helped defeat Retsu, Geki, Lee, Mike, Joe, and Eagle! Are you planning to fight ME! You will not stand a single chance against Birdie! Speechless?"

"………"

"The strong, silent type, eh? Come on! Fight me now!" All of a sudden, door CA6 opened, and Chun-Li burst through.

"LEAVE RYU ALONE, VIKTOR!"

"Or what, you little brat?"

"Kiko-Ken!" All of a sudden, Chun-Li burst a huge fireball from her palms. It struck Sagat pretty hard.

"You got lucky there… Ryu. Next time there will be no one to help you. I see absolutely no potential in you. You cannot defeat me!"

Then Sagat left to his room.

"Wow, Chun-Li. Thanks a lot!"

"No problem, Ryu. Have a good night! I know you'll defeat that creep! Well… good luck. I'll see you fight tomorrow."

"Thank you. Goodnight."

"You met Sagat!" cried Dan, "Tell me… I heard a lot about him, but what does he LOOK like? You saw the greatest fighter around!"

"Well… he was really big… He was badly scarred… and he had an eye patch."

"Wait a second… big… eye patch… warriors' scars… Sagat… Viktor Sagat… What the… SAGAT KILLED MY FATHER! If we make it, we will KILL him! MAYBE I SHOULD RIGHT NOW!"

"No, Dan! You must control your anger or you will face the same fate as Akuma!"

"I am not a demon, and I never will be! Now don't talk to me!"

"Your mind…"

"Fight me now! I was always better than you! Now it's time for me to prove it!"

"Ken! Gouken! Dan is raging!" Ken and Gouken bust in, shocked.

"Dan…" said Gouken.

"Grr… HAI!"

All of a sudden, Dan punched Gouken with a Shoryu-Ken. Then Ken did a trick that he knows best—a punch in the stomach. Afterwards, Dan was panting like heck.

"Ryu… I'm sorry!"

"It is alright, Hibiki. I understand. Revenge made you in the thirst to kill. I understand the feeling... I learned it recently."

CHAPTER 5: Better than his name

Strange, thought Ryu, One sees potential in me, yet one doesn't… But what if he was just scared? He wanted to kill me instantly… Yet then Dan acts strange. I've never seen him so angry…

The next day, after what happened last night…

"Ken really disturbed me when I tried to sleep", said Dan, "I heard you laughing like hell, Ken! WHAT WAS SO FUNNY!"

"Sorry, Dan! I couldn't help but keep thinking about the name of 'Birdie'. We're facing a weakling!"

"The world holds many surprises, Ken", said Ryu, "Birdie may be a powerful fighter."

The three were getting dressed up, Ken still snickering. As soon as they were done, they went out to the fields, an audience roaring, probably loud enough to have an echolocation all through Japan, filled all the seats (some extra ones might have had to stand since there were so many people).

"PLEASE WELCOME", announced the P.A., "RYU HOSHI, KEN MASTERS, AND DAN HIBIKI! TOGETHER THEY FACE…… BIRDIE!"

This was for sure; This "Birdie" didn't look like a weak foe. He was almost as big as Sagat. He was black, had an interesting hairstyle, and dressed like a gangster. A huge chain was his weapon of choice.

"Yeah… err… Forget what I said about the 'weakling' part. Heh heh…"

READY… AND… FIGHT!

All three martial artists jumped at him with plenty of kicks. They kept on doing that, though Birdie was showing no sign of pain! Instead, he merely yawned and dragged Ken with his chain. He was strangling Ken and tossing him around. Ryu and Dan did a Shoryu-Ken on Birdie simultaneously, in which he at last let go of Ken. Then, all three of them combined the biggest Hadou-Ken they can so far. But as soon as it shot, Birdie slashed it in three with his chain, and each third of the shot hit the three martial artists. They were groaning with pain, but then they got up again. They were pounding Birdie with all their strength, and Birdie at last showed some pain. His mouth was bleeding, but it also made him angry.

"I will not be beaten by you puny brats!"

Then he smashed them to the wall. However, they resisted, and broke Birdie's chain. But Birdie didn't seem to need his chain! He then did a head butt on Ryu.

"What are we going to do!" complained Ken.

The battle lasted a long time. But Ryu just thought of something.

"I have an idea, guys! Since I do best with Hadou-Ken, Ken does best with Shoryu-Ken, and you do best with the Tatsumaki kick, let's do all that at once!"

"But with all our strength", said Ken.

Then, out of all things, the combo was set. All at simultaneous times, Ryu performed his best Hadou-Ken, Ken performed a Triple-Shoryu-Ken, and Dan did plenty of spins in the air (note that in the games, Dan does not spin-kick).

This was an incredible blow! Birdie was lucky to live!

Alas, Gouken's students win once again, but barely.

"INCREDIBLE BATTLE! GOUKEN'S PUPILS WIN!"

"Hey guys!" The voice came from no other than Chun-Li herself.

"Great job, you three. I'm sure that I.C.P.O. would've liked to see this battle. It was amazing! Are you boys alright?"

"Just fine, thank you", said Ryu, "… Wait a second… ICPO? You are a secret agent?"

"Young for my age, but yes. They, too, are against General Bison. They know that he has a good talent at hiding, but they mostly want to know what his plans were."

"Wow! You have to be really talented to join Interpol."

"I guess so. So Ryu, which one of your friends are which?"

Ryu pointed at Ken, then to Dan.

"That's Ken… and that's Dan."

"Pleasure to meet you two."

"You know, Chun-Li", said Ken with a smooth tone, "You are pretty cute for a female warrior."

"Why, thanks! Ryu, can I talk to you for a second?"

"OK."

The two went to the hallway.

"That Ken… why was he talking so weird?"

"Ah, just ignore him. He does that to all women, even though he already has a girlfriend." "I'd say that he's cute, but you're cuter."

"Heh. If you insist. So how have you been?"

"Great. I probably gained another twenty pounds eating, enjoying the show. You guys were GREAT! And were you honest about avenging my father for me? You don't have to."

"But I want to. I cannot have anyone so beautiful as you live in terrible pain. I want suffering to not exist in this world!"

"Thank you! But just to warn you, as usual, Sagat is a tough opponent. But if you can defeat Sagat, you can probably defeat Bison. How can I ever repay you?"

"Nothing is necessary. I have no need for something from you that you don't want to give up. Besides I have to defeat a demon in the name of… Akuma."

"Akuma? I think I've heard of him. What do you two have against each other?"

"Let me explain."

So Ryu told all that he remembered from what Gouken and Gen said, to Chun-Li.

"Wow."

"So I'm trying to save their lives as well."

"I understand. But there is one thing I wouldn't blame him on."

"Huh?"

"You ARE a strong fighter."

"Thanks for the compliment, but I don't think I am."

"Ryu, you just talked with Gouken and my master! If they say you are strong, then you are strong. That's why Sagat picked on you! He knew instantly that you were too strong to be beaten! Plus I say you're strong. And as much as your friends would hate to admit it, they may think you are strong, too. You are very handsome and cares like a real person."

"………"

"What's the matter, Ryu?"

"Nothing. I just don't know what to say."

"Here. Let me help you to your room. You look hurt badly."

"You would do that?"

"Of course! Come on."

CHAPTER 6: The nightmare

The two managed to get to Ryu's room, and yet Ryu managed to get onto his bed.

"Ah… Thank you for all your kindness, Ms. Xiang. I wish I could do something in return."

"'Ms. Xiang'… I do not ask for anything from you except our friendship. You can call me 'Chun', 'Li', or 'Chun-Li' if you want."

"Okay then… Chun."

"Ha-ha-ha! Yeah… Well, sleep tight."

"You too… Chun."

"giggles Alright, bye."

Then Chun-Li left the room.

Ryu was running through the woods at a dark night. He kept on running and running, but he had no clue where he was running to. After a while, he stopped and sees a bloody body that was laying motionless on the ground. Ryu couldn't figure out who it was, and then he hears a heavy evil voice.

"Ryu… You hold a great power… but you have never let it strike. You wanted to fight to get stronger. Now's your chance! Unleash your Dark Hadou!"

Then the person that had that voice was visible. However, he was no "person". In fact, he looked less human than usual. Sure enough, it was The Supreme Master Of The Fist himself, Akuma.

All of a sudden, Ryu was tensing and howling. His groans got louder. He couldn't stop this suffering feeling!

"AAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

"Now if you want to stay powerful, you are going to have to fight me with this evil chi."

"I… WILL… NOT… GIVE… IN! I… MUST… STOP… NOOOOOOOOOO!"

Suddenly, Ryu was feeling another voice, though it sounded younger. Yet it was a familiar sound.

"RYU! RYU, WAKE UP! RYU!"

Then Ryu found himself not in the woods, but in his bed. Ken was trying to wake him up.

"Ryu, what happened?"

"Akuma…! Kill…! I turned evil…! I was suffering…! And I desired only to kill!"

"Ryu, it was just a bad dream. You're sweating! I'll get the master."

"The master! BUT HE'S DEAD! HE WAS KILLED BY AKUMA!"

"So that's the body you saw?"

"YES!"

"Ryu, don't worry! It was just a dream. Gouken is still alive, okay? Calm down, Ryu. Calm down."

So Ken left the room in a hurry to fetch Gouken.

"The dark Hadou… do I contain it?"

It took a while, but Ken finally returned with their master.

"What happened, lad?"

"Gouken… You are alive! Thank god…"

"What are you talking about, Ryu?"

"I saw you dead… Akuma killed you… then he said that I have the power of the Dark Hadou inside me. I was getting infuriated against my own will! What's happening to me!"

"Ryu, we've got to give you some water. It will help."

"Please hurry!"

As Gouken got him something cool to drink, Ryu gulped it and didn't care if it spilled slightly on his Gi Top. Ryu sighed heavily, and finally calmed down.

"Ryu, are you alright?"

"I'm… I'm fine, thank you."

"Do we need to disqualify you from the tournament?"

"No, I can handle it. I'm alright."

The next morning, Ryu just remembered who their next opponent would be. That would be Adon, Sagat's greatest pupil. This is going to be a pretty tough battle, thought Ryu.

CHAPTER 7: His greatest Shoryu-Ken

Adon was, even though he does kickboxing with Sagat, a pretty thin red-headed man with a grin that really lets his gums show. He was in the fighting position like the Cat Stance.

"Hee hee hee… You may have beaten those other morons who dared to enter the tournament, but I have learned from the best."

"Yet, so have we", said Ken, "A wise name in the name of 'Gouken'".

"You three cannot beat me or master Sagat! Not even close."

"We have heard phrases like that through the tournament. This is becoming a bad dialogue Cliché."

"Oh shut up already. PA, START THE FIGHT!"

"TIME FOR THE TEAM BATTLE! THE TEAM IS SET: FIRST IT IS DAN HIBIKI, THEN IT IS KEN MASTERS, AND FINALLY IT'S RYU HOSHI! THE BATTLE SHALL BEGIN… NOW!"

Dan threw a kick over at Adon, but then Adon did a counterattack with a crouching heavy punch. It spun Dan in a whirlwind. However, Dan instantly performed a Shoryu-Ken in which slammed Adon's chin.

Even though Adon looked like as if his bones were delicate, he actually (with a bloody mouth) sprung back and did a Jaguar Kick. Surprisingly, Dan was badly injured just by that strike! Dan was unable to continue.

Next… was Ken.

"What the hell? Oh, Dan… You just don't try… ADON!"
"You rang?"

FIGHT!

"JAGUAR KICK!"

"HAH! You really think that I'll fall for that again? SHORYU-KEN!"

"What the…!" Then Adon was slammed hard in midair. It was a bit stronger than Dan's, but not quite strong enough.

"HADOU-KEN!"

Adon was trained to maneuver boring fireballs, but this shot was quick, yet strong! But again, Adon resisted! Now he did a huge combination of Jaguar Kicks. It definitely knocked out Ken.

"Unbelievable! I perform only two moves and… ugh…"

"Then again, I have to admit that this was a fun battle, no matter how fast it was!"

"Bastard… ugh… Ryu… he will win… he always does…"

"NEXT UP: RYU HOSHI! WILL RYU GAIN HIS FULL STRENGTH, OR WILL THE TITLE GO TO VIKTOR SAGAT'S APPRENTICE, ADON!"

Ready… and… FIGHT!

"TATSUMAKI-SEMPUU-KYAKU!"

"JAGUAR KNEE!" The attacks collided, which knocked them both back.

"Grr… Ryu, you will pay for that!"

"I do not seek to surrender, for my martial arts are to make me non-seduced. I do not seek to pay by my soul, neither by anyone else's, for I do not seek to take, either."

"… If you tried to sound like a poet, that sucked completely."

"I was not trying to do a mind-trance trick. I merely gave information."

"It's not important. Just shut up and fight! JAGUAR FIST intermission note: I made the move up… I think!"

So the strike was a strong one.

But, without even thinking, Ryu performed probably his greatest Shoryu-Ken ever!

The blow was HUGE! He and Adon were rising from his fist… rising… rising… rising… rising……… and rising.

Finally it stopped, and Ryu landed on his feet, while Adon, on the other hand, landed on his head. Adon was lucky not to break his skull!

KO… Ryu wins.

The meds came out to the field to carry Adon back to his room.

"Will he be alright?" asked Ryu.

"Who cares? You just beat him, Mr. Hoshi! But yeah, he'll be fine."

That man, Ryu…, thought Chun-Li, He's probably the strongest warrior I have ever seen! Maybe I should apologize to him for going too far. I can be a really anxious girl. I hope I get over it. Oh! Here he comes now!

Ryu came up and met with Chun-Li.

"Hey Ryu. That blow was incredible! How did you do it?"

"No clue. Honestly, no clue."

"Yeah… Well, Ryu… I just wanted to apologize for my childish behavior before."

"No apology is needed, Ms. Xiang. I understand."

CHAPTER 8: Train

"Yeah, I would really like to be your friend. You are really nice as well."
"Thank you, Ryu. Well, I must go. Some things I need to check on Bison."
"Good luck."

Moments later, in Ryu was in his room.

Bison… there may be more to him than just a psychotic General…

All of a sudden, Chun-Li comes in.

"Ryu! You need to know this: Bison is giving Sagat the power known as the 'psycho power' from the 'psycho drive'! I learned that it is a very powerful source. I did not find out what Bison and Sagat are dealing with each other with, but it is definitely not good. I thought I ought to warn you. Train, train! Sagat will be strong!"

"Thank you for the warning, Chun. I'll stay aware of it."

"No problem. Remember, Ryu… TRAIN! You are strong! Keep going!"

So Chun-Li left the room.

"It looks like I have got some sparring to do."

Later on, Ryu set up this spar; Ken+Dan+Gouken vs. Ryu.

"Since the winner from the last battle will fight Sagat", explained Ken.

"We shall start at round 1", said Gouken, "Remember, boys; Try not to injure or kill anyone. Now… FIGHT!"

Dan threw a Hadou-Ken over to Ryu, but it was short-range… once again. That gave Ryu the chance to perform a jumping heavy kick at Dan, and then a crouching heavy kick to make him trip. But behind Ryu's back, Ken lunged at Ryu's spine. Right after it happened, Ryu turned around and did a fake-punch to Ken then a Hadou-Ken.

Gouken then performed a Hadou-Ken to Ryu, but Ryu blocked it, then performed a Shoryu-Ken when Gouken was in range.

"Good work, Ryu."

Next, Ryu was studying the nerves and pressure points for him to attack.

"The Eye-Dart attack on the Temple…" Ryu muttered.

Next, Ryu worked on his Hadou-Kens on a wooden dummy.

"Hadou-Ken!"

"Hadou-Ken!"

"Hadou-Ken!"

"Hadou-Ken!"

"HADOU-KEN!"

"SHINKUU-HADOU-KEN!"

By that shot, the dummy was blown to bits.

"Success."

Next, he worked on his Shoryu-Kens.

"Shoryu-Ken!"

"Shoryu-Ken!"

"SHORYU-KEN!"

Finally, he worked on his Tatsumaki Kicks.

"Tatsumaki-Senpuu-Kyaku!"

"Tatsumaki-Senpuu-Kyaku!"

"Tatsumaki-Senpuu-Kyaku!"

"TATSUMAKI-SEMPUU-KYAKU!"

"SHINKUU-TATSUMAKI!"

Afterwards, Ryu was panting like heck. Tomorrow was the time to face the mighty emperor.

CHAPTER 9: Final battle

"I really don't know why I am facing a nosy little brat", said Sagat, "He will definitely be no challenge for ME!"

"Come on, buddy", rooted Ken, "I know you will beat him! Come on! You can do it!"

"I… I can do it?"

Finally, the battle started.

"AT LAST, WE HAVE MET THE FINAL CHALLENGE! RYU HOSHI VERSUS THE GREAT VIKTOR SAGAAAAAAAAAAT!"

The crowd was going wild.

"SA-GAT, SA-GAT, SA-GAT", the audience chanted.

However, Ken, Dan, and Chun-Li chanted "REE-YU!"

Gouken merely said nothing.

READY… AND… FIGHT!

"HA-HA! TIGER!"

All of a sudden, Sagat performed a boomerang-shaped fireball in the air (judging by his size). Ryu ducked it with a forward-roll, then performed a Shoryu-Ken.

But it didn't even lay a scratch on Sagat!

"HA-HA-HA! TIGER BLOW!"

Then, Sagat did an ability that was identical to Ryu's Shoryu-Ken! He performed it while Ryu was in the air.

"UGH!"

"HA! YOU CANNOT WIN! GROUND TIGER SHOT!"

Sagat did a Tiger Shot on his knees for a lower version of the original attack. Ryu blocked it with a Hadou-Ken. They did this over and over for about ten seconds.

Then Ryu jumped over one and did a heavy kick at Sagat's face and then performed an uppercut at Sagat's stomach, with a combination of a Shoryu-Ken. At last, it blew Sagat off.

"Grr… I've had enough of playing… Psycho Power, GO!"

Suddenly, Sagat was glowing blue and his fists were full of fire.

"HA-HA-HA! BISON… THIS POWER… IT IS TREMENDOUS! HA-HA-HA! I am definitely going to win now! Thank you, Bison! Tiger Shot 2!"

Unlike Tiger Shot and Ground Tiger Shot, Tiger Shot 2 performed Tiger Shots both low and high, plus the shots were multiple!

Ryu had some trouble blocking it properly, but still managed.

Sagat kept doing this to keep hurting Ryu. Then, Sagat performed a giant shot. How can Ryu ever block it?

Then, Ryu got his palms glowing, prepared to fire a Shinkuu-Hadou-Ken.

And so he did. The Tiger Shot that Sagat performed vanished as Ryu's fireball hit it, but Ryu's fireball kept going!

It hit Sagat hard.

"AARRRRRRRGH!"

Then then the crowd started to chant, "REE-YOO, REE-YOO!"

"WHAT! NO, YOU COWARDS! YOU WILL ALL PAY! TIGER KNEE!"

Sagat attacked Ryu with a knee press, which slammed Ryu back. But Ryu did a shoulder roll and then did a Tatsumaki Kick. And while Sagat was in the air, Ryu performed a Shoryu-Ken...

But this was no ordinary Shoryu-Ken... Ryu slammed Sagat with his bare fist.

"SHIN...SHO...RYU...KEN!"

The attack must have lasted for over ten minutes. It was a 300-hit combination!

"NOOOOOOOOO!"

As soon as they landed, Ryu noticed something new on Sagat's chest; a giant scar.

"Ugh... Ryu... You will regret this... AAAARRRGH..."

The audience was stunned for a few seconds. Then...

"YEAAAAHH!"

Ryu... He did it! He won the tournament! He beat the great Viktor Sagat!

"Well done, Ryu", said Gouken, "I'm very proud of you, my boy."

"Great work, Ryu", said Ken, "You finally made it. I knew you would."

"Thank you", said Dan, "For giving Sagat what he deserves after what he did to my father."

"Ryu...", said Chun-Li, "You have overcome the Psycho Power and proved yourself to truely have potental. You are the best fighter around!"

"WINNER: RYU HOSHI!"

This might have been Ryu's greatest moment so far...

CHAPTER 10: No celebration

Later on, Chun-Li had to go back to China.

"I'll miss you guys. I'm sure we'll meet soon, though."

"I think so, too", said Gouken, "but wouldn't you like to stay with us for a while?"

"I would love to do so, but I can't. I have work over in Hong Kong. Finding the Shadaloo whereabouts."

"I see. Well, if you find out where he is, please bring us over. We don't want you to get hurt."

"That's very caring. Okay then. I'll call you… wait… you have no electricity, do you?"

"Ryu didn't want his money", said Ken, "so I took the liberty to use it to buy a cell phone."

"Alright then. My home number is blah-blah-blah, my cell phone number is blah-blah-blah, and to contact Interpol, the number is blah-blah-blah."

"Okay. I'll see you then. I gotta go."

So the Shotokan warriors went home.

"That was amazing, Ryu", said Dan.

"Thanks, Dan. I didn't want to have to hurt him, but I had a strange thirst."

"The thirst of a true warrior", said Gouken.

They all went to bed after that battle, though Ryu was more tired. They were all completely out cold.

However, Ryu felt very strange………

Then he heard a suffering scream. It was coming from outside! Ryu and Ken both heard it, and ran out to where it was happening.

Ryu felt strangely familiar to this feeling. It was EXACTLY what happened in his dream! But is Gouken…

After a while, Ryu and Ken managed to reach the incident. They saw the same body that Ryu saw in his dream. Sure enough, Gouken was dead.

"Ryu… that dream! Just like you said! Ryu?"

"Ugh… I… feel… the same suffering… that I felt… in my dream… Akuma!"

Yes, it was Akuma.

He said, exactly like in the dream, "Ryu… You hold a great power… but you have never let it strike. You wanted to fight to get stronger. Now's your chance! Unleash your Dark Hadou!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

"Now if you want to stay powerful, you are going to have to fight me with this evil chi."

"I… WILL… NOT… GIVE… IN! I… MUST… STOP… NOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Ryu", said Ken, "That's what you shouted in your sleep! You won't get away with what you did, Akuma!"

"I won't? Heh. I already have, you fool."

"AKUMA… UGH… WHY… DID YOU… KILL… YOUR… BROTHER!"

"To prove that I was always better off with the Dark Hadou than the light side of Shotokan. I mastered the dark arts, yet my pathetic brother mastered regular Shotokan."

"THEN… WHY DO… YOU WANT… ME!"

"If you must know, you are the only one who can defeat me. If I give you more power from an evil chi, I will have my true death match. However, the evil intent within you may not grow enough for about a year or so. Besides, I truly am the master."

"But if you keep killing", said Ken, "there will be no one for you to be the master of!"

"Exactly. I want everyone out of my sight and battle in the true fight; life. Mother… I wish my father died and not her."

"Akuma… You must have comfort. Even a demon must have comfort! Please, you are not yourself! Akuma, you still have heart deep inside that monstrous body. You are not the Akuma you once were."

"Sorry, but that will never work. Die out of your misery! I have no use for you! SHUN GOKU… Huh…! What the…!"

Then Ryu performed a Hadou-Ken right before Akuma used the move that he did on Goutetsu and Gouken.

"Ugh… Not bad, kid. I look forward to a good battle later on. I'll wait until you are stronger. HA-HA-HA!"

Then the "ten" symbol was burning through his body as he walked off.

"Gouken… no…", said Ryu sadly, "you were the closest one I had to a father… Akuma… I WILL AVENGE YOU GOUKEN! YOU MUST DIE, AKUMA!"

To be continued…