Chapter 12

Dawn arrived at the city of Wuhan and marked the beginning of this 22nd of February. On this day the city would play host to the main event of the Super Street Fighter Tournament. Fighters from around the world would compete for the title of Grand Champion. Among them were Ryu and Chun-Li Hoshi.

Yesterday evening they celebrated their daughter's victory in the junior championship of the tournament. After Mei-Lin won the tournament, the Hoshi family enjoyed a great feast presented to them by the Bogard family due to a bet that Mai Shiranui-Bogard lost to Chun-Li.

Later that night all of the fighters met at the lobby of the hotel and got interviewed by the many reporters waiting for them. The reporters focused on Mei-Lin of course but also on her brother Ryan who lost to his sister in the final. The parents' reaction to the finals outcome was also of great interest to the journalists and so Ryu and Chun-Li were interviewed just as thoroughly as their children.

When the interviews were finished, the fighters moved to a closed off outdoor section where the real celebration was about to happen: a big party in the honor of Mei-Lin's victory. Ken Masters, the financier of the entire event, spared no expense and allowed only the best booze and snacks for the party. He organized a spectacular fireworks display and even managed to book Skrillex as the parties DJ.

As the night grew late the adults retreated to their rooms to rest and get a good night sleep before it was their turn to fight the next day. The kids however stayed up late and partied through the night.

-RCL-

It was 06.30 AM when the beeping sound of the alarm clock pulled Chun-Li out of her dreamland and back to reality. She opened her eyelids a tiny slit and moaned into her pillow. But her protest was to no avail and the beeping remained.

Chun-Li sighed and turned herself on her back. As she turned she reached with her arm for the clock on the nightstand und pushed the snooze button. She lifted her upper body into a sitting position and yawned while stretching her arms and chest. Then she rubbed her eyes and scratched away an itching sensation on her head.

Only now did she notice that she was alone in the bed yet she distinctly remembers nodding off on her husband's chest. She undid her oxhorns and let her long dark hair fall down over her shoulders while she looked around the bedroom but Ryu was nowhere to be seen and there was no noise to be heard out of the bathroom.

'Where is he?' Chun-Li wondered and got out of bed and into her fluffy slippers. She walked out of the bedroom and into the living room but still no Ryu! She turned her head around and quickly found a clue: the window door to the balcony was wide open.

Chun-Li slurped towards the open door and smiled when she finally spotted her beloved husband. Ryu was standing in front of the railing of the generous balcony and watched the beautiful sunrise while holding a coffee mug.

Ryu was wearing only a pair of red training shorts and sandals and his red headband. He turned his head at the sound of someone approaching him from behind. Ryu received a huge smile when he watched this Chinese beauty approach him.

"There you are, sweetie!" Chun-Li said as she closed in on her husband with a seductive smile. Ryu however said nothing since he was still blown away by her appearance. Next to her fluffy shoes the only two items of clothing Chun-Li wore were some black panties and a silk dark blue tank top with spaghetti straps.

What stunned him the most though was her long wavy hair which he knew she only openly showed to him. The golden light of the rising sun reflecting off her smooth skin made her all the more look like an angel. Ryu broke out of his stair when he felt her lips kiss his and her saying "Good morning."

Ryu replied "Good morning, my love!" He stared at his smiling wife for a minute and then directed her attention to the steaming pot on the table next to them "There's some fresh tea if you want." Chun-Li poured herself a cup and took a careful sip of the hot beverage. She greatly enjoyed the sensation of the hot liquid making its way down into her stomach. "Hmm….thank you." she said.

Chun-Li readjusted her hair on her right side and tucked it behind her ear and asked "Since when are you awake?" Ryu turned again to keep watching the sunrise and answered "A bit after 5 AM. Woke up and couldn't go back to sleep. So I figured I might as well get some fresh air."

Chun-Li leaned with her back against the railing took another sip of tea and asked "Why didn't you wake me up?" Ryu explained "You slept so peaceful….I didn't want to disturb you." Chun-Li smiled again and said "That's sweet of you." Ryu smiled and said while looking at the horizon "It's beautiful isn't it!?...so calm!"

At first Chun-Li didn't get what her husband was talking about. Then she turned around to see what he looked at and was presented with a stunning view. The sun was slowly rising above the horizon and left its mirror reflection on the shimmering surface of the east lake. The entire island was silent and while she could see that the city of Wuhan in the distance was already busy, its noises were canceled out by the waves of the water.

It truly did instill great calmness inside of her and so she agreed "Yeah, it's really beautiful!" Together the two warriors watched the sunrise in silence.

After a short while Chun-Li directed her attention back at her husband and studied his body language for several minutes. Then she asked with a worried tone "What's bothering you?" Ryu turned his head slightly and looked at his wife with an asking expression. Chun-Li dug deeper "Come on, Ryu, I know something is bothering you…..and it's not the tournament….so what is it?"

Ryu lowered his eyes and sighed. He knew it would be wrong to hide this from Chun-Li and he remembered the vow he took at the altar when he married her: to never lie to her ever. He took a deep breath and answered "I'm worried about our son, Chun-Li!"

Now her smile was entirely gone. She asked "Our son?...Why are you worried about Ryan?" Ryu looked down but not really at anything in particular. He took a second to formulate an easy response and said "Because without knowing it he tapped into the Satsui No Hado!"

Chun-Li gasped "What?!" Ryu once has told her about the dark path of his power which utilized the killing intent, more commonly referred to as Dark Hado. She couldn't believe that their own son would be using such a murderous technique….most of all against his own sister.

Ryu turned towards his wife and explained "Do you remember how Ryan channeled his chi during the last part of yesterday's final fight?" Chun-Li answered "Yeah….it was a bit scary how his aura changed into crimson flames! It gave me the shivers!"

Ryu nodded and continued "This particular way of channeling the Hado I have only witnessed three times! The first time was many, many years ago back at Gouken's dojo in Japan. Ken and I were training vigorously to access and channel the Hado….."

-RCL-

Somewhere deep in the countryside of rural Japan stood a lone dojo. No other building or sign of civilization was visible up to the horizon and on this day not more than three men were occupying that dojo.

Ken and Ryu were training in the walled in courtyard under supervision of their teacher Gouken. They were training to channel their chi into their palms and perform one of the Hado's signature moves: the Hadoken.

The two students stood next to each other and focused their minds. Then as if they were one they brought their hands to their sides and tried to channel their energy in between their palms and both said "Hadoooo—" but nothing happened.

After several more tries their master Gouken interrupted them and said "Stop! Focus and be calm! Will your chi to surge into your fists! Begin!" Again as if they were one Ryu and Ken moved their hands to their sides and tried what their master asked of them. Nothing.

This time while Ryu still tried to focus his chi Ken repeated the kata once more but faster. "Hadooo-" still nothing. Ken got frustrated. Gouken immediately noticed and said "Ken! You are rushing! The Hado cannot be forced into release by anger and frustration! Quite the opposite!"

Ryu was still trying to channel his chi while Ken again hastily performed the kata and yelled "HADOKEN!" But still no fireball. Ken got more frustrated and confronted his teacher "SHIT! How are you supposed to stay calm in the middle of a fight?"

Gouken immediately replied seriously "KEN! 50 push-ups NOW!" Ken sighed frustrated "Hai!" gave a quick bow of respect to his teacher and got down on the ground to do the push-ups. Then Gouken directed his attention to Ryu who ignored Ken's outburst and gave it another try. He took a deep breath and again put his hands to his side.

His focus was rewarded with a slight distortion of the air between his palms. Gouken encouraged Ryu "Good Ryu, you are close! Drive your chi into your hands!" Ryu tried but couldn't get the energy sphere to form.

Gouken stepped next to Ryu and said "Try this…" While Ken was still occupied with his push-ups Ryu watched his master perform a kata and say "This allows me to concentrate my chi flow into my hands before I am stepping into stance…." With great awe both Ryu and Ken watched the Kata and as Gouken stepped into the stance of the channeling they were amazed at how seemingly effortless Gouken formed a sphere of pure blue energy between his palms.

Gouken made the sphere vanish and took the first position of the kata. He said "Together now!" and ordered Ryu next to him while Ken was finishing his set of push-ups. In union Ryu and Gouken reached their arms forward with the palms facing each other. They circled their hands and then waved their arms up and down. Then with each arm they described a large half circle before bringing their palms to their sides and getting into stance.

Ryu concentrated his chi and suddenly to his and Ken's amazement a sphere of blue energy appeared between Ryu's hands. He then dissipated the sphere and with a smile said to his master "I felt it! Amazing!" Gouken nodded and said "You are on the right path!" Ken had just finished his push-ups and said "Well done, man!"

Ken stood up and Gouken approached him "Ken, would you like me to show you the kata?" Ken however dusted off his red gi and replied "No thank you….I saw it!" Gouken watched Ken get into stance and begin the kata next to Ryu. He walked around Ken to the porch of the dojo and sighed. He entered the dojo and thought 'Yet another proof of Ken's impatience.'

Ken performed the kata flawlessly and channeled his chi. Energy started to take shape between his palms but no matter how hard he tried, his sphere was minor compared to what Ryu managed to channel.

Ken's pride got him frustrated over the fact that Ryu was better than him at channeling his chi. He turned away from Ryu and reached inside his gi and produced a small dusty old notebook. He opened it, flipped to a certain page and quickly read the Japanese text and watched the crude drawing on the other page.

He put the notebook back in his gi and got ready to try this new technique while Ryu still trained the kata he just learned. Ken raised his fists over his head and brought them down in a fast and strong motion while stomping his left foot down on the ground. Then he brought his palms together in a circular motion and concentrated them at his side. A sphere started to form, much larger than Ryu's.

Ken smiled as he finished his new kata. He stepped forward so he was opposite to his friend and said out loud "Hey Ryu! Watch and learn!" Ryu broke his kata and watched his friend. Ken again raised his fists and slammed them down while stomping his left foot in the ground. Ryu gasped when Ken was suddenly enveloped in a weak aura of what seemed to be flames.

Ken brought his palms together in the half circle motion and then to his sides. He channeled his chi between his palms and a purple sphere formed. It got larger until Ken couldn't control it anymore and so he let it fly "HADOKEN!" he screamed in a scary voice and launched forward the purple sphere. It hit a tree inside the dojo and obliterated it entirely!

Ryu put his arms up to shield himself in awe from the remains of the tree and the asked the grinning Ken "How did you do that?" But before Ken could answer they heard their masters voice "KEN! RYU! INSIDE!" They yanked their heads towards the dojo and saw Gouken stand inside the doorway.

After they entered the dojo Ken was all rattled up and started talking fast "Master! Did you see that? It was huge and powerful and…" He was silenced by Gouken's raised hand. He got close to Ken and asked very seriously "Ken, where did you learn that kata to channel the Hado? You did not learn it from me!"

Ken replied "I….It just got to me….I must be a natural!" Gouken pushed his pupil against the wall and said "DON'T LIE TO ME!" Ken got really intimidated by this rare outburst of their master and countered "Okay, then let's talk about Satsui No Hado!" Gouken said "Means nothing to me!" Ken countered again "Who's lying now?" and pulled the notebook out of his gi.

Stunned Gouken grabbed the notebook out of Ken's hands and flipped through it. Shocked at the notes he read Gouken asked with a surprisingly worried tone "Ken….where did you get this?" Ken replied "I found it in the boarded up room…your brother's room I guess!"

Gouken was shocked. He did not want his students to find out about his brother this way. He said to both of them "Ken, Ryu….Satsui No Hado is not something you want to be part of! I'M TELLING YOU OUT OF EXPERIENCE!" Ken quickly yelled back "IT GETS RESULTS! MUCH QUICKER THAN YOUR TECHNIQUES!"

Ken's eyes seemed to turn into glowing red jewels with his outburst which shocked both Ryu and Gouken. Before Ken could make another move Gouken quickly channeled his chi into his fingers and hit Ken with a stunning nerve pinch on five of his body parts!

Ken screamed out loud "NYAAAAAHHH!" and seemed to freeze. Gouken said to Ryu "Quickly Ryu….hold him down!" Ryu did as he was told and locked Ken into a sitting position from behind. He asked "What is happening master?"

Gouken sat down in front of Ken and touched his chest with his hand and explained "Ken has been tainted by the Satsui No Hado….I must try and clean his soul of it before it spreads!" Then Goukens hand started to glow.

-RCL-

"….our master managed to clean Ken's soul of the Satsui No Hado with hat he explained to us as the Power of Nothingness and we swore an oath to never use the Dark Hado." Chun-Li was touched by this story. The two of them sat down at the table on the balcony while Ryu was telling it. Chun-Li asked "So…that was the first time you witnessed this power…"

Ryu continued "The second time was at the world warrior tournament. I was fighting against Sagat in the finale and he was just about to beat me. I was so intent on winning that suddenly I felt huge powers erupt from within me. And in effect I broke my oath to my master." Ryu paused for a second as he recalled what happened.

"From then on I only remember flashes of what happened but people who witnessed the fight said I suddenly hit Sagat with a very powerful Shoryuken and that my entire body glowed purple. With this Shoryuken I not only won the fight but also put the scar across Sagat's chest that he is known for these days. I realized that I accessed the Satsui No Hado. I was lucky that I didn't kill him and snapped out of it right after the fight was over. Ever since then I trained my mind to find a balance between my urge to win and my desire to evolve my skills so that I wouldn't fall for the Dark Hado again."

Chun-Li was shocked and kept listening intently while fashioning her hair back into her oxhorns. Ryu swallowed some thick saliva and continued "The third time was on Shadaloo Island. I was fighting M. Bison while the entire Island collapsed around us and started to sink into the ocean. Suddenly during the fight Akuma appeared out of the shadows and killed Bison with his deadliest technique….the Shun Goku Satsu. Then he challenged me to fight him."

Ryu took a sip of tea and continued "He stomped his foot in the ground and channeled his chi and surrounded himself with crimson flames. Just like Ryan did yesterday and Ken all those years before. Then we fought…..I was no match for his strength and he could have killed me anytime. But instead he kept taunting me and told me that I should let loose the killing intent and access my real power. When I kept refusing he was about to kill me. Luckily for me Dhalsim arrived just in the nick of time and teleported us out of there."

After taking a couple of seconds to digest the story she just heard Chun-Li asked "This Akuma….you once told me that before he became a raging demon he actually was Gouken's brother Gouki…..and their teacher was…..umm…" she snipped her fingers to try and remember the name. Then Ryu helped her "…Goutetsu! That's right!"

Ryu said "Gouken and his brother Gouki trained under Gotetsu in the same dojo that Gouken later used to teach me and Ken and that we called home for a long time. Gotetsu's teaching of the Hado incorporated the Satsui No Hado but still required much discipline and patience to master. From what my master told us, Gouki was very impatient. So one night he snuck into Gotetsu's room and copied a forbidden scroll that taught the most lethal techniques and how to fully access the Dark Hado into a book. The same book Ken later found hidden in Gouki's old room."

Ryu paused and then summed up "When Gouki showed off in front of master Gotetsu and Gouken he was banned and Gotetsu burned the scroll. Gouki set off into the wild and trained himself to master the Satsui No Hado. He succumbed to the Dark Hado and became the demon Akuma! He returned to the dojo and killed Gotetsu. He spared his brother only to return many years later and kill Gouken as well just after Ken and I left for the World Warrior tournament."

Chun-Li put one hand onto Ryu's and asked "Oh, Ryu…..we have been married for more than 20 years! Why did you never talk with me about this?" Ryu looked into his wife's worried eyes and said "I was ashamed and those memories I would rather forget. But that was wrong…..I should have told you these things much sooner. I'm sorry, Chun-Li!"

Chun-Li inched with her chair closer to Ryu. She put her hand on his cheek and said with a smile "I forgive you." She kissed him deeply and then put her hands on top of his as she broke the kiss. Then she asked "But Ryu…..do you really think our children would willingly use the Dark Hado?"

Ryu shook his head and said "No, not willingly. But what if they are pushed onto a path or forced into a situation where they see no other choice but to use the killing intent." Chun-Li lost her smile again and said "I know what you mean. I am the best proof of that!"

Now Ryu was embarrassed. He made them remember a particularly difficult time from 10 years ago when they were fighting Juri Han and Vega together with Mai and Andy. Chun-Li said sniffing "I tried to save Mai from Vega's lethal blow and killed him with a forbidden technique. I succumbed to the darkness and feared myself lost."

Ryu quickly wiped a tear off Chun-Li's cheek and said "Chun-Li, I'm sorry….I didn't mean to…." Chun-Li countered "It's ok, sweetie. It's part of our past. And remember: you pulled me back into the light." They kissed each other and smiled again.

Chun-Li asked "Back to our kids…..What do you think we should do?" Ryu scratched the back of his head and answered "We have to protect them from these dangerous and dark techniques!" Chun-Li said "I agree. But we shouldn't just hide it from them or forbid the techniques without explaining why! We have to tell them the whole story! Then they will understand."

Ryu smiled and felt proud at how good of a mother his wife was "You're right. So….let's do that right after we get back home." Chun-Li nodded "Ok, let's do that." They kissed once more and then Chun-Li stood up and said while poking Ryu's back "Now come on, we should get dressed. We have a big day ahead of us!" Ryu smiled and followed his wife back inside.

-RCL-

Several rooms next to Ryu and Chun-Li's suite Mei-Lin was waking up in her bed to the bright sunlight that enlightened her bedroom. She was on her side and hugging her trophy. She slowly opened her eyes and rolled on her back. It seemed to her that the room was spinning around her. She held her forehead with one hand and thought to herself 'Oh man, what a hangover! I can't remember how I got into bed…..that was a bit too much alcohol!"

She noticed that she was completely naked and her hair was open and pretty messed up. However she shrugged her shoulders and thought 'At least I can sleep out!' She closed her eyes and rolled her body over but suddenly she bumped into something.

She felt the silk bed sheet touching her bare skin but thought 'That doesn't feel like one of the large pillows!' Then she started touching that 'thing' that was lying under the sheets next to her. 'What is that…..bandages?!'

She quickly opened her eyes wide and gasped. She immediately yanked her body some distance away from that lump that she just hugged and touched and screamed "MEL!"

Mei-Lin kept her view fixed on that person lying with her on the bed in hopes that it's a bad dream! But it really was a young man and when he slowly turned towards her, she got confirmation that it was Mel Masters with parts of his chest and arms still covered in bandages to protect the injured areas from his fight with Mei-Lin. He mummed half asleep "Hrrmm….what!?"

When she noticed that Mel was apparently as naked as she was, she put one and one together and received a huge shock. As fast as possible Mei-Lin crawled backwards out of the bed and stepped a few feet away while uttering "Oh NO….Nonononononononono! This didn't happen! This didn't happen! TELL ME THIS DIDN'T HAPPEN!"

Mel slowly lifted his upper body and rubbed his head. Still not fully awake he asked "Huh….what didn't happen?" He glimpsed through his blonde hair that just as messy as Mei-Lin's and asked "Why am I in your room?….WOAH!" Mel stared with open jaw at Mei-Lin.

Now she realized that she was still completely naked and screamed "Eeeek…..STOP STARING YOU PERV'!" Embarrassed Mel looked away and said "S..Sorry!" Mei-Lin quickly reached for nearest piece of clothing which was her modified cheongsam on the chair nearby und pulled it over her head to cover her bare lady parts.

Mel awkwardly asked "Can I look now?" Mei-Lin got pretty angry and said "No, you may not 'look'! Get out of the bed!...And spit out what happened last night and how you got here!" Mel quickly got out of the bed and Mei-Lin was a bit relieved to see that he was still wearing his boxer shorts. Mel tried to remember and said "I remember partying pretty hard and then…..then…..nothing! I can't remember how I got in your bed!"

Mei-Lin shook her head in frustration and said "Damn! I'm drawing a blank too!" They both noticed the vibration of their cellphones. Mei-Lin checked her phone and said "My brother sent me a message asking if I'm coming downstairs for breakfast!" Mel said "I got the same text. I guess we better join them." Mei-Lin said "Yeah, you go ahead!"

Mel gathered his clothes and was just about to exit the room when Mei-Lin screamed "NO WAIT!" Mel jumped back from the door, turned around and asked confused "Well, what now? Leave….stay?" Mei-Lin explained "I don't want somebody to see you leave my room like this! I'll check first if the coast is clear!"

Mel said "Then go ahead and check!" Mei-Lin however hissed "I'm not going out there looking like this!" Mel scanned her from tip to toe. She did look very messy and onlookers could get the wrong idea if they saw her. She said "I'm going to take a shower….ALONE! You wait here and get dressed! And freshen up a bit!" Mel scratched the back of his head and asked "Umm…where am I supposed to freshen up? You only have one bathroom!" Mei-Lin threw a bottle of deodorant spray at him and pointed towards the sink. Then she grabbed a spare fighting uniform and some fresh underwear and locked herself inside the bathroom.

The warm water felt like droplets from heaven washing away all of the sweat on Mei-Lin's body. As she shampooed her hair she kept thinking about last night 'What the hell happened? Did I really seduce Mel and sleep with him?...Or did he seduce me?' She washed the shampoo out of her hair and then thought while rubbing her body with liquid soap 'Hmm….Amy once told me that a ladies tenderness would feel different and easier to enter after the first time!'

Carefully Mei-Lin checked her lady part and gave away a quick moan while she did it. She quickly pulled her finger back out and thought 'No…still feels the same.' She washed off the soap and sighed as she finished her shower "Please let this not be my first time!"

Mei-Lin unlocked the bathroom door and entered the bedroom/livingroom. Mel was just adjusting his belt and was otherwise fully dressed in his orange gi. He looked at Mei-Lin with a smile and said "You're right! That looks much better!" She was wearing the blue leotard and the modified cheongsam like in the tournament yesterday and she had her hair affixed to a single oxhorn.

She didn't say anything and simply returned the compliment with a weak smile. She slipped into her shoes and grabbed the decorative chopsticks from her nightstand and put them through her oxhorn. Then she said "Ok let's go. And don't you dare to speak to anyone about this!" The last part she threatened him with her fist.

Mel immediately waved his hands in surrender and said "Woah….Ok, Ok. I'm not looking for a rematch here!" Satisfied with his answer Mei-Lin carefully opened the door and peeked outside. While Mei-Lin was scouting the corridor Mel thought 'Oh boy. If her mother is just as headstrong as Mei-Lin then I feel a bit sorry for Uncle Ryu!'

Mei-Lin opened the door and leaned forward to first check the left side of the corridor and then the right. No one was there so she walked outside, checked again and then waved Mel to come out of the room. They quickly headed for the elevators and pushed the button.

One of the four elevator doors opened and lucky for them it was empty. They entered and Mei-Lin pushed the button for the Lobby. The entire way down they didn't say a word and all they could hear was the elevator music playing 'girl of ipanema'. Mei-Lin had her arms crossed beneath her bosoms and looked annoyed at their reflection in the mirrored doors. Mel had trouble not to stare at the Chinese/Japanese beauty next to him and instead focused on one of the ceiling corners and displayed a very uncomfortable face.

The elevator doors opened and the two walked together through the lobby and into the restaurant. They seemed to be among the last to arrive. Almost all the tables were occupied though there was a big difference in who sat at them and what state they were in.

While many of the adult fighters returned to the restaurant for the second time this day to replenish their energy after their morning exercises and in front of the main tournament, almost all of the young fighters were either hung-over, sleeping or trying to eat some late breakfast.

Mel spotted Sakura, Ryan, Yuriko, Yun and Yang, all of them dressed in their fighting uniforms, and poked Mei-Lin into that direction. They approached the table of their friends and Mei-Lin said "Hey guys!" However Sakura who was resting her head on her palms moaned "Shhhh….not so loud!" Mel and Mei-Lin where stunned at Sakura's condition. She was holding her head above a bowl of cereals which she kind of tried to eat!

Yun and Yang didn't look any better. They were sitting on the half circle couch of the table leaning against each other. Yun hid his face behind his baseball cap while Yang had his head tilted back and both of them snored like two walruses.

However Yuriko and Ryan seemed to be in pretty good shape and indulged some strawberries together. Mel and Mei-Lin took a seat in the empty chairs and Mel asked Ryan "Dude, what happened to them?" Ryan explained "What you see here is the result of Sake drinking game between Sakura and the Lee twins!" Sakura weakly formed a fist and said quietly "I won! Yay!"

Yuriko said "It's good to see that you two are up and walking straight again!" Mei-Lin replied "Hmm…thanks. Which brings me to a good point: Can any of you explain what happened to us last night? And how come the two of you are so well rested?" Ryan just stuffed a strawberry in his mouth and asked "Well, dear sister…because Yuriko and I opposite to you can keep our liquor in check!...so, you mean you don't remember anything from last night?" Mei-Lin shook her head.

Yuriko said "That's not surprising considering how much champagne they poured down!" Mei-Lin got pretty annoyed by that remark so Ryan quickly explained "You two got drunk! And I mean REALLY drunk! So much that we decided it was best to put you two under before you do anything stupid or drink even more!"

Mei-Lin asked "So you're telling me that the five of you just put us in my room and in my bed?" Ryan nodded! Mei-Lin asked again "And why didn't you put Mel in his own room?" Ryan explained "It was difficult enough to get you into your room! And to put Mel into his would have been quite the detour! We wanted to get back to the party after all!"

Mei-Lin was getting angry and asked further "And can you explain why we were naked when we woke up?" Sakura answered that question "That's my bad! Your clothes reeked of alcohol and I figured it would be funny to give you a scare!" Mei-Lin and Mel both looked pretty angry at Sakura who managed despite her hangover to form her usual grin.

Mel then asked "So….nothing happened between us?" Yuriko asked back "What do you mean nothing happened?" Mei-Lin tried to clarify with some hand gestures "We mean as in HAPPENED….TOGETHER!" Now the three conscious friends understood with a simultaneous "OOOHhh!"

Ryan then reassured "I don't think so. You both fell straight asleep once you hit the cushions. So unless you miraculously awakened from your coma and did the nasty and then fell asleep again…..then no 'nothing happened'."

Mei-Lin slumped into her chair, rested her head on her palm and sighed "Phew! Thanks guys…..you cannot believe how relieved I am!"

"Relieved of what?" A familiar female voice said from behind Mei-Lin. The kids including Sakura yanked up and saw that it was coming from Chun-Li. She along with Ryu, Mai and Andy just approached the kids table. They unlike their children were completely fit and also properly dressed in their fighting uniforms.

Mei-Lin tried to elaborate "….relieved that our part is over and it is now your turn to fight, of course!" The kids grinned innocently. The adults smiled and Mai said "You're right about that! Have a nice brunch kids and see you in the arena!" Ryu added "And make sure to put lots of coffee into those two jokers!"

The kids looked at where Ryu nodded and realized that he meant the snoring Yun and Yang. Sakura laughed and said with a grin "Haha…of course Ryu-San!"

The adults left the restaurant and Mei-Lin quietly asked "They don't know what happened…..do they?" Yuriko answered "No no….all of the adults retired at midnight and the embarrassing stuff didn't happen until hours later!"

Mei-Lin sighed again in relieve. After a moment Mel asked a bit offended "Would it really have been so bad if something happened between us?" Ryan, Yuriko and Sakura gazed at Mel in shock to ask such a question and Mei-Lin hissed "Of course it would have been bad! Because you and I are not an item! By any definition not a couple or lovers!"

A bit sick of the issue Mel waved his hands in defense "Okay, okay….fine!...Dude where's the food around here? WAITER!" Now Yuriko, Ryan and Sakura had to laugh and Ryan said "Man, the buffet is over there!"

-RCL-

At 2 PM the main event of the Super Street Fighter tournament begun with a glamorous introduction by its host Fei-Long. The fights were breathtaking spectacles of skill and both Ryu and Chun-Li ploughed their way right into the semi-finals. Ryu's opponent would be none other than Ken Masters. And if Chun-Li would win the current fight her next opponent would be her good friend Mai Shiranui-Bogard.

Right now she was in the ring fighting against her partner Cammy White. The fight neared its end since Cammy was pretty beat up and didn't have much strength left. However she still grinned and taunted "You're not getting sleepy yet, are ya'?" Chun-Li smiled and replied "Not at all, honey! Bring it on!"

Cammy knew she was in trouble because despite her best efforts, Chun-Li didn't even seem to sweat. She decided to make one final attack. She gathered all the strength she had left and spun her body at Chun-Li with her Spiral Arrow. Chun-Li blocked the heavy impact of Cammy's drilling feet. Then Cammy followed with a Cannon Spike and tried to launch Chun-Li up in the air.

Chun-Li did fly upwards but she managed to block the hits of Cammy's Cannon spike without taking damage. Cammy then tried to grasp Chun-Li's head in midair and yelled "Gyro Driva Sma-"

Cammy's combo got canceled out when Chun-Li stabilized herself and struck Cammy with a lightning kick. The fast chi enhanced kicks hit Cammy dead centre and thrust her back down on the ground.

Cammy landed hard on her back and could just watch with open eyes at Chun-Li's outstretched leg descending down on her. Chun-Li yelled "Hosenka!" and struck her partner with her boot in the stomach.

Chun-Li did a flip backwards and got back on her feet and Fei-Long's voice said via the loudspeakers "K.O.-CHUN-LI WINS!" Chun-Li smiled in appreciation at the applauding and cheering audience.

Then she approached Cammy and helped her back on her feet. Still a bit dizzy Cammy said "Congrats, Chunners. I didn't stand a chance!" Chun-Li smiled and said "Don't take it too hard, honey! You'll still pound any thug into the ground that dares to face us!" The two of them laughed and Chun-Li supported Cammy on her way to the medics.

Fei-Long took a stand in the centre of the ring and said to the audience "Well, ladies and gentlemen. Now the competitors for the semi-finals are clear. Ryu Hoshi will fight Ken Master. But first Chun-Li Hoshi will face Mai Shiranui. It will be one hell of a display, ladies and gentlemen…after a small intermission! See you back in 30 minutes!" The audience applauded and then headed outside for the various food stands.

-RCL-

Juri Han followed the fights very attentively via the hacked cameras in the arena and said "So….it'll be Mai who you'll have to defeat to face your husband, Chun-Li. That's a fight I'm looking forward to!" Then she jumped out of her big chair and exited the surveillance room.

She walked down a large corridor and entered the launch control centre. Her cyborgs were busy at work and she didn't pay much attention to them. Instead she walked towards the large window and looked at her freshly assembled missile with its very special warhead.

Juri asked into the room "Are we ready to launch?" One cyborg answered "Yes mistress. The missile is ready!" Juri grinned and asked "What is the flight time?" A different cyborg answered "5 Minutes and 2 second to target. The missile can loiter for 10 minutes if required!"

Juri's grin grew larger and she said "Good….have the launch control installed on my chair in the surveillance room!"

Juri Han returned to watch the last fights and laughed manically "HAHAHAHA…Enjoy your fair fights Chun-Li and Ryu! They will be your last!"


After the actionpacked fights of the junior championships comes a bit of a quieter chapter adressing the reactions of Ryu and Chun-Li and a bit of a comedic scene between Mei-Lin and Mel.

I intentionally jumped over several fights because i want to get on with the story. But don't worry there will still be plenty of fighting ahead of us.

Some might have noticed that i took a page out of the script of the Street Fighter: Assassins Fist webseries. I just loved that series because it is done with so much dedication to the orginial product and it truly is how a Street Fighter Movie should be! I also love the way the series tries to explain the supernatural abilities of the Hado instead of just having the charachters throw around fireballs without explanation.

For those who havent seen it yet, head over to Youtube or Machinima and watch it!

Stay tuned for the next chapters which will include the final fights of the Super Street Fighter tournament.