Zero Chapter Part 3

(Author's Note- Rated G for GWB bashing.)

Washington DC, Ash Crimson's Hotel Room

Ash Crimson sat back on the sofa flipping through the channels on the TV. Sitting on his leg was a plate of slightly eaten chocolate cheesecake. The Frenchman took forkfuls of the luscious and sweet cheese cake and placing it in his mouth. It was like he was in Heaven.

"This is like Heaven," Ash said.

A fly buzzed through and buzzed around. It headed towards Ash's cheesecake. Waving his hand slightly, his hand ignited a green flame that fried the fly instantly. There was nothing left of the fly except for smoke.

"That was close y'know," replied Shen Woo who stood in the balcony practicing his punching attacks. His style was self-made called 'Shen Woo'. It was dubbed as rowdy bare-fisted boxing.

"But we got away, no?" Ash replied.

"She could've shot us, too," replied Duo Lon as he sat in a recliner reading up a book on martial arts.

"She she didn't," Ash said with a smile.

"You can be overconfident at times," Shen Woo replied as he threw a few punches in the air and a rushing uppercut.

"I am not overconfident," Ash said taking another bite out of his cheesecake. He closed his eyes to savour the taste of it.

"Right..." Shen Woo said.

"This cake tastes so much better after winning several matches," Ash added.

"Be glad you can enjoy that," Shen said to the Frenchman.

"And I am enjoying this," Ash said with a laugh.

"Good for you," Shen Woo said without looking at Ash. He stood there and continued practicing his punching techniques.

"How much longer do we plan to remain here?" Duo Lon asked.

"As long as I feel like it, monsieur," Ash said.

"I dislike having to be in the same place as George W. Bush," Duo Lon calmly said.

"Stupid American wannabe cowboy," Shen burst as he threw a barrage of punches. He imagined his target as GW Bush.

"That foolish American doesn't know what lies in this world," Ash said.

"Yeah..." Shen Woo said throwing another uppercut.

Immediately, they Ash turned to News Combo 6. They were talking about this year's Millennium Tournament.

"Turn it up," Shen Woo said.

"Millennium Tournament, I heard about this..." replied Duo Lon.

"Of course. Bigger than both the KOF and SF tournaments. Fighters from both tournaments fight and compete against one another. This determines who is the best of the best," Shen Woo explained as he stepped back inside the hotel room.

"Heh, we shall enter this tournament," Ash Crimson replied.

"That sounds like a great idea," added Shen Woo.

"Who are some of the best fighters?" Ash asked.

"From what I read, Kyo Kusanagi, Iori Yagami, Ryo Sakazaki, Terry Bogard, K' Dash, and a few others from the KOF tournaments," Shen said.

"What about the SF tournaments?" asked Ash.

"There's Ryu Hoshi, Ken Masters, and others to speak of," replied Shen.

"Then we must enter this tournament," Ash Crimson said.

"Maybe I'll find Ron there," Duo Lon said to himself.

"Hmmm?" Shen went.

"Nothing," Duo Lon said as he continued to read his book.

"Current sponsors are the Masters Corporation headed by Kenneth F. Masters, the Garcia Concern headed by Robert Garcia, and the Kagura Conglomerate headed by Chizuru Kagura," said the anchorwoman.

"Interesting," Ash said to himself. He had an evil grin on his face. His intentions were going somewhere, but it was unknown to the others. It would be something Ash would not reveal to anybody until the time is right.

"Okay, when do we leave?" Shen asked.

"We leave tonight," Ash said as he picked up the phone.

"Least I'll be glad to get the hell out of here," Shen Woo said.

"I have to agree," replied Duo Lon.

Ash Crimson sat back and thought about that fateful encounter with Jill Valentine. She was beautiful and deterimined. Very much to Ash's liking. But it was 'just' an encounter, he thought to himself.

Right now, he would focus on much bigger things. The Millennium Tournament. What he didn't know was that Jill had a talk with Alyssa Ashcroft. Umbrella wanted in on this year's tournament.

Shen Woo enjoyed this thought. He would get to fight against the world's greatest fighters. Plus he's always wanted to tango against people such as Ken Masters. One person caught his attention was England's number one boxer, Dudley.

He then went behind the bar of their penthouse suite and prepared himself a Whiskey Sour. Shen Woo immediately downed it and fixed another. The fighter always loved a good alcoholic drink.

"Ahhh, nothing like a good drink," Shen said with a refreshed sigh.

"Don't drink too much," Duo Lon calmly replied.

"Yeah, yeah..." Shen said as he opened a refrigerator and took out a Bud Light. Popping the top, Shen took a few sips and headed towards the couch. Ash Crimson continued to watch coverage of the upcoming Millennium Tournament.

"This tourament should prove interesting, no?" Ash said.

"You got that right," Shen said taking another sip.

"I say we go out for dinner before leaving tonight," Ash said.

"Sounds like a good idea. I'm craving some pizza," Shen Woo said.

"I'll go with whatever," Duo Lon replied.

"Pizza it is," Ash Crimson replied.

"Can we change the channel?" Shen Woo asked.

"I prefer watching this instead," Ash Crimson said back to Shen Woo.

"Alright..." Shen said with a yawn.

"What time should we go?" Duo Lon asked. Immediately, Shen Woo called up a pizzeria.

"Hi, I'd like to set up a reservation for 7:30 tonight," Shen Woo said on the phone. "Okay, thanks." Hanging up, he looked at the 2 of them. "7:30 tonight," he said to the two of them.

"That gives us some time," Ash Crimson said to his teammates.

"Share a pizza or individual?" Shen asked.

"Individual, we can't agree to what toppings we want," Duo Lon said.

"I'll have mine with anchovies," Ash said.

"Okay, we get our own pizzas," Shen Woo replied.

"Cowards, not man enough to eat anchovies?" Ash asked with rhetoric. He didn't like anchovies himself. Ash just said it because he didn't want to share a pizza, either.

Skynoah, Somewhere in the Skies

Adelheid Bernstein sat there in his living quarters. He wanted to fight the ones who were responsible for what appreared to be the death of his father, Rugal Bernstein. But, his father was still alive. Somewhere...

"Father is stricken with madness," he said to himself.

He knew all about Rugal's hunger for power. What most men with power want, more power. Adelheid was a highly skilled fighter. His moves were the exact as those of Rugal Bernstein. This time, he was preparing to fight his own father.

"I'm sorry father," Adelheid said under his breath.

Adelheid stood there in the middle of his luxurious living quarters and practiced his fighting attacks. Rugal was one not to be underestimated. The young Adelheid would have to practice much harder if he wanted to defeat his father in combat.

They heard about the soon upcoming Millennium Tournament. Adelheid set autopilot towards Osaka, Japan. He would enter this Millennium Tournament. His father had to be stopped one way or another. He pretty much disapproved of what his father had done in the past.

Rugal made statues of people he defeated. Dipped them in cement and waited for them to harden. The man also dealt in nuclear arms. He had several rivals. One of them being the king of Southtown, Geese Howard. The other was the master of Shadowlaw, M. Bison.

"Maybe I might have to do battle against those two as well," Adelheid said as he practiced his kicking attacks.

Then there was the dreaded NESTS cartel that wanted to make an army of Kyo clones. They also struck Southtown with the Zero Cannon. Many lives were lost. He felt that it's not just about his sociopathic father.

"I might have to fight against those other people as well," Adelheid added.

Adelheid pulled off several special moves that his father taught him. Took him some time to master these attacks.

He did want to do honorable combat against those such as Kyo Kusanagi, Iori Yagami, Ryo Sakazaki, Kim Kaphwan, Terry Bogard, K' Dash, K'9999, Ryu Hoshi, and Ken Masters. Adelheid was also aware that a certain person named Gouki could be looking for him as well. Rugal knew very much about Gouki.

The Satsu No Hadou rivaled the power of Orochi on so many different levels. Adelheid heard about a battle between Ryu Hoshi and Iori Yagami. Both had been possessed by those two dark powers.

Satsu No Hadou was dubbed the 'killing intent' with Orochi being dubbed as 'riot in the blood' or 'blood riot'. Those 2 powers caused the possessed to be extremely murderous. He knew about the several people who could go Orochi, besides his father.

Leopold Goenitz, who is tied with the Orochi bloodline. Leona Hiedern, adopted daughter of the mercenary known as Hiedern; daughter of a man named Gaidel, whom Goenitz ordered killed. Two people he was most familiar with were Vice and Mature, his father's secretaries. But they weren't working for Rugal. They were working for Goenitz to make sure that Rugal wasn't abusing the Orochi power.

The only person that Rugal had lost a fight to was Leopold Goenitz. He granted Rugal the Orochi power. But not being of Orochi blood, it could become very self-destructive. Both secretaries were placed to keep a close eye on him.

Adelheid never liked those 2 women in the first place.

There were Yashiro Nanakase, Shermie, and Chris. They too had the powers of Orochi. But, they wanted to resurrect Orochi, who would come every few hundred years to destroy the earth. However, Orochi would be beaten by the greatest fighters.

Last but not least, Ryuji Yamazaki. He was an ex-Yakuza hit man. Yamazaki enjoyed killing very much. It would be obvious that Yamazaki had Orochi. Yamazaki is difficult to fight as it is. But when in Orochi, fighting Yamazaki as he was is just child's play.

"Adel, lunch's ready," said a voice through the door.

"I'll be right there, sis," Adelheid said back.

After several minutes, Adelheid stepped out to greet his sister, Rose Bernstein. But he called her 'Rosy'. They were Rugal's only children. She wanted to avenge the ones responsible for killing their father.

"Where are we headed?" Rosy asked.

"Osaka, Japan," Adelheid said back.

"What's going on there?" she asked.

"Millennium Tournament," he replied back to her.

"You're entering?"

"Yes. Father must be stopped."

"You still believe that father is still alive, don't you?"

"I know he's still alive. He's stricken with madness..." Adelheid said as he looked out and the beautiful blue skies.

"How do you know that?"

"I do. Plus, there are other enemies I feel I must fight," he said.

"Let's stop talking about this. Lunch is ready," she said.

"Alright, let's go eat," Adelheid replied as the 2 of them headed towards the dining area. They had a few servants around to tend to their needs. Life was good. But there was the fact about Rugal Bernstein.

"The cook prepared us some rock lobster," she said.

"Mmmmmm, can't hardly wait," Adelheid said as he rushed towards the dining room.

"Ahem, you could at least wait for me," Rosy replied to her brother.

"Sorry, but haven't eaten anything all day," Adelheid said back to his sister.

"The chef also prepared some ice-cream cake for us," Rosy said. But she preferred sugar coated rose pedals. She had a weird taste in desserts.

San Francisco, Masters' Estate

Ken Masters sat at his desk in the study. He was looking over very important paperwork pertaining to the tournament. It was a joint effort with Robert Garcia and Chizuru Kagura. The 3 of them would be the ones responsible for heading the Millennium Tournament committee. The winner of the tournament would receive 1 billion in cold hard cash.

This tournament would decide who is the best of the best. Everybody that participates would receive a prize or reward. They wanted to make sure that nobody leaves the tournament empty handed at all.

"Never knew this would be such hard work," Ken said to himself.

At that moment, his wife Eliza entered the room. Along with Eliza, their young son Mel. Mel was Ken's pride and joy. Due to being a father, Ken only enters tournaments that Ryu enters. Eliza fully knew about Ken's friendship and rivalry with Ryu.

Ken and Ryu were like brothers. They trained under Master Gouken until that fateful day. Both Gouken and Gouki were fighting. The 2 of them fought Gouki but were effortlessly swatted away by his immense power. But Gouken fell down a waterfall and hasn't returned since then.

Gouken is still yet to be found. At that time, both of them parted ways. But came back together when M. Bison emerged. Ryu also fought the Emperor of Muay Thai, Victor Sagat.

"Right..."

"Hey there," Ken said as he rose from his seat and approached his wife. They both kissed each other. He then held his son in his arms.

"Daddy..." said Mel.

"How's my little warrior doing?" Ken asked spinning around some.

"Mel wanted to see his daddy," Eliza said.

"I'm glad to see Mel as well," Ken said.

"How's the work going?" Eliza asked.

"Oy... I'm leaving for Osaka in a few days to undersee the tournament. Care to come with me?" Ken asked with a smile.

"I haven't been to Japan for a long time. Mel should meet his uncle Ryu," Eliza replied to her husband.

"I have to have a meeting with both Robert and Chizuru. Debating whether or not to give the next sponsorship slot to Umbrella," Ken said.

"I don't like Umbrella very much," Eliza said.

"I know. They've been having bad publicity going for them the last few years. But, they're willing to offer a lot of money. Guess, their way of advertising their products," Ken said.

At that moment, Eliza gently laid Mel back on his feet and let him move around. She then looked back to her husband. "I remember watching footage a few years back on that outbreak back in Raccoon City."

"Yeah... But it hasn't been confirmed that Umbrella was responsible. That's why we're going to have a discussion. If nobody else steps in, we'll have to accept Umbrella's sponsorship," Ken replied.

"I see," Eliza replied.

"I don't like Umbrella either. They're pretty shady. But they're offering a lot of cash to help with the tournament."

The phone started to ring.

"I have to take this," Ken said.

"Just be careful, alright?" Eliza said to him.

"Aren't I always?" Ken said with a smile. Immediately, Ken picked up the phone and answered. "Masters, here."

"Hey, it's Robert Garcia," said the man on the other line.

"Hey! I was about to call you and Chizuru up. Gotta set up a meeting in Osaka," Ken said.

"I was about to say the same as well," Robert said.

"We gotta talk about the final sponsorship slot," Ken explained.

"That got me thinking as well. I don't think it's going to help that much if we accept Umbrella's help," Robert replied.

"I know. But nobody else has stepped forth, yet. Plus Umbrella is willing to offer a lot of money to help out."

"That's true," Robert said.

"Can you call Chizuru up for me?" Ken asked.

"Sure thing, Robert said."

"We should set up a meeting in a few days," Ken said.

"I agree," Robert said back.

Both Eliza and Mel left the study and went down the hallway. They saw Sean walking down as he stopped to greet them.

"Hey," Sean said.

"Last day of school?" Eliza asked.

"Yeah, I graduated with high honors," Sean replied.

"That's great. Ken will be proud. He's having a business call right now. We should go out and celebrate tonight," Eliza said.

"Yeah," Sean laughed. He then kneeled down to Mel as they did their special handshake. Mel looked up to Sean like an older brother. "How you doing?" Sean asked. Mel smiled back at Sean.

"Hear anything from Allen?" Eliza asked.

"Not yet," Sean said.

"I hope he's doing all right," Eliza said.

"I doubt he's in any trouble at all," Sean said. Allen was another person that trained with Ken. The two of them met each other in a US Karate Tournament. Allen was a highly skilled fighter. But, Ken emerged the winner.

Ken assured that Allen is a very skilled fighter. But was a big fish in a small pond. By accompanying Ken, Allen would fight against more skilled fighters.

"I'm going to go shoot some hoops," Sean said.

"Be back before seven," Eliza said.

"Sure thing," Sean replied to her and walked off.

Besides martial arts, Sean's other passion was basketball. One person he could relate to was Lucky Glauber. Lucky was a professional basketball player. At the same time, Lucky was a very skilled martial artist.

Getting changed, Sean left the house and got on his motorcycle. He then sped off from the Masters' Estate and headed towards the streetball courts. Sean had to blow off some steam. However, he was getting ready for this year's Millennium Tournament as well.

"Alright, see you in Japan," Ken said as he got off the phone with Robert Garcia.

The 2 of them agreed that they didn't want Umbrella. But, they were offering a lot of money for a sponsorship slot. If nobody else stepped up, then they would have to accept Umbrella's sponsorship.

"Please, someone else step up," Ken said to himself.

Ken immediately went to the dojo he built behind the house. He needed to blow some steam as well. Getting into his red Karate gi, Ken practiced his kicking attacks on the bag. With both legs, Ken worked on his roundhouse kicks. He hit the bag very hard.

Then he moved to punching attacks and combination attacks. He had to sharpen up before fighting in the tournament. Ken would be doing a tag-team with Ryu. If would be a pleasure to see his old friend again.

Kagura Conglomerate Office, Japan

"Kagura, here," Chizuru said as she sat in her office. It looked very much like a Japanese shrine.

"Hey, it's Robert Garcia. Calling from Southtown," said the voice.

"What's up?" Chizuru asked.

"I just got off the phone with Ken Masters of the Masters Corporation, he wants to set up a meeting in a few days to discuss the final sponsor's slot for the Millennium Tournament," Robert replied.

"I see. You 2 have a problem with Umbrella, right?" Chizuru asked.

"Yeah..."

"I understand that. But Umbrella hasn't been accused of any wrong doings. That outbreak was just dubbed by coincidence," Chizuru said.

"I know. But I still don't trust the Umbrella Corporation," Robert said back to her.

"I understand. But in a few days, we won't have that much of a choice. If we don't find a forth sponsor, we'll have to give up. And we've invested a lot of money in sponsoring," Chizuru explained to Robert. "It could very much cause the 3 of us to become bankrupt."

"That I understand," Robert said.

"However, if you 2 can produce a fourth sponsor, then we can refuse Umbrella," Chizuru said.

"Alright, guess we'll be seeing you here in Japan," Robert said.

"I'll be looking forward to it," replied Chizuru.

They both hung up on the line.

However, it did raise a lot of suspicion with Umbrella offering a whole lot of money to help sponsor the tournament. Chizuru fully understood the situation and the bad publicity Umbrella has been getting within the last few years. But, did they really have that much of a choice?

Chizuru requested the services of Mary Ryan, former Southtown PD officer. Now she makes a living as a private investigator. She was currently looking up stuff on the Umbrella Corporation.

"Probably have a bunch of dirty secrets they're trying to hide," she said to herself.

The main reason Chizuru decided to help sponsor was that she could attract several people who could help her seal Orochi again. Her family was known as the Yatas. They were responsible for guarding the seal of Orochi.

But, they might have bigger concerns later on.

"I just hope I know what I'm doing..." Chizuru said to herself. She let out a very deep sigh.