Chapter One: The Replacement Judge
Note: There is a reference to Resident Evil Nemesis in here somewhere. For all my RE nuts out there, see if you can find it. Bah.
-Ryu and Chun Li's Home, a resort town near Osaka, Japan...-
A Japanese-style home in the wooded area near the city of Osaka. The place was an abandoned joint Buddhist-Shintoist temple, until while on his travels Ryu Hoshi came across it. Using the money he had from winning past tournaments (and some of Ken's money), he bought the place and he and Chun Li rennovated the place and turned it into a studio-style residence, complete with a dojo.
Of course, it took Ryu several to convince his city-bred girlfriend that a change in scenery was in order, since she had recently accepted a transfer to Interpol's Japan office and Ryu had decided to leave Tokyo and decided to set up shop in Osaka.
That was six months ago. Ryu had stopped travelling since then and continued his training, while at the same time, competing in various martial arts tournaments (and winning), while Chun Li was promoted to Chief Inspector.
Right now, Chun Li was in Hawaii and Ryu was in the living room, stretched out on the sofa, having returned from a tournament in Nagoya, in which the master of a rival karate school and about fifteen of his students attempted to gang up on him, but were all defeated with little difficulty. Rather than his usual white sleeveless karate gi, he was dressed down in a simple black T-shirt and a pair of denim jeans. A pair of sandals rested nearby, along with a pair of worn tennis shoes.
The ringing of the telephone on the coffee table arounsed him from his light nap. Yawning, he opened his eyes a crack and grabbed the telephone. "Hello?"
"Ryu." It was his childhood friend and longtime martial arts rival, Ken Masters. "I'm glad I caught you while you were at home."
Ryu yawned. "I just returned from Nagoya," he mumbled.
"Were you sleeping?"
Again Ryu yawned. "Do you have to ask? What is it?"
"Well, you know about the pageant that's going to be held in five days, right?"
"Yeah, so?"
"So, we're in a bind. One of the judges have bailed out on us and we only have nine judges left. We're supposed to have ten, but if we don't find another judge in two days, then the pageant will be called off."
"To make a long story short," Ryu surmised, "you want me to come to Hawaii as a judge for this pageant."
"Pretty much," Ken replied. "And before you say no, look at it this way. This is a paid vacation. The Masters Foundation is paying for most of the judges' tickets, with the exception of the other five. And besides, you really need a break from your 'the fight is all' routine."
"A paid vacation..." Ryu mused. "It seems tempting, but you of all people know that things don't go as planned. Give me one good reason why I should go along with this crazy idea of yours."
"What would you do if I put the words 'Chun Li' and 'bikini' in the same sentence?" Ken replied.
"I would say...what time is my flight?"
"I knew you wouldn't resist," Ken said. "Good fighter you are, but you are only human."
"Just shut the hell up and tell me the flight number, idiot," Ryu snapped.
"Japan Airlines, flight 0928, Osaka International. Your flight is in two hours. Thanks for doing this, man."
"Oh, don't thank me yet," Ryu replied before hanging up the phone and laying back down. Now he was fully awake and was looking at the ceiling. Ken DID have a point. With competing in martial arts tournaments all over Japan, China and Korea, he really do need to take a break.
That and the idea of Chun Li in a swimsuit was hard to pass up.
***
-Honolulu International Airport, the next day...-
Ryu's flight arrived in Hawaii as scheduled. Of course, Ken had failed to mention that his seat was in the first class section of the flight, not to mention that a majority of the airline's passengers were Japanese businessmen who looked down on the Shotokan fighter with a bit of disdain when they asked him what was his occupation was. When he said that he was a martial artist and was in the process of opening up a martial arts school, they openly insulted him.
Then they immediately apologized when they saw Ryu shatter a glass bottle with his bare hand.
They left Ryu alone after that.
Dressed in a sleeveless black V-necked shirt with the words KILL YOU! on the back, a pair of denim pants and tennis shoes (he even went without his headband for once), Ryu walked throughthe terminal, his white duffel bag slung over his shoulder.
At least Ken wasn't hard to find.
Ryu's longtime friend was looking for him in the airport's baggage claim. Ever the snappy dresser, Ken Masters was clad in a khaki shirt, the top unbuttoned, a pair of dark clacks, and a pair of expensive shoes. He still wore his shoulder-length in his usual style, though.
Ken finally looks in Ryu's direction and sees the Japanese fighter rapidly approaching. "Ryu!"
"Ken!" Ryu raised his fist and Ken slammed his fist into Ryu's in their ususal greeting before shaking hands. "It's good to see you again, man."
"Same here," Ken replied. The last time that he and Ryu seen each other was at Ken's wedding. That was three months ago. Since then, Ken and Eliza had moved from Seattle and back to the Masters Estate in San Francisco, mainly because Ken was promoted to vice-president of operations at the Masters Foundation.
The two men were been like brothers. Having been trained in Shotokan Karate at Gouken's dojo at an early age, they developed a close friendship...and a heated rivalry. On one end, Ryu, the reigning World Warrior champion with patience and calm (and the Dark Hadou), while Ken, an American Karate champion, was arrogant and at times, full of himself when it came to fighitng.
Ken pointed to the duffel bag that Ryu is holding. "I know you don't have any other luggage besides that duffel bag, so all we have to do now is to wait for the other judge to show up and we can leave."
"You mean, there's another judge for the pageant?" Ryu asked.
Ken nodded. "Yeah. And it happens to be my brother-in-law."
Ryu blinked. "Guile is in this?"
"He should be arriving at any moment."
Ryu sighed. William Guile was a close ally and a good fighter during the tournament, but when it came to Ken, Guile and Ken rarely got along. Occasionally, whenever they come into contact, they would butt heads about Ken's lifestyle and his playboyish ways. Ken had promised to stop chasing women when he married Eliza and he had kept his end of the bargain, much to Guile's surprise.
Guile was Ken's brother-in-law mainly because Eliza and Jane were sisters, Eliza being the youngest of the two. Of course, Jane and Guile's daughter liked Ken, and had begged Guile to try and get along with Ken, something that Guile grudgingly accepted.
Of course, Ryu would always play the peacekeeper between the two men whenver they were around.
Ryu saw something in the distance. "He's coming."
"You sure?"
Ryu smiled meanly. "I can recognize that hair a mile away."
Sure enough, it was Guile. The 'King of the Air Force,' was wearing his usual outfit--olive green tanktop underneath a camoflauge jacket, camoflauge pants, and combat boots. in his hands, he was luggint two green duffel bags.
Ryu nudged Ken. "How'd you managed to get Guile as one of the judges?"
"It was my dad's idea," Ken replied. "Guile was coming here as a guest instructor at one of the military bases here, and Dad called him in."
Ryu shrugged his shoulders. "Father knows best."
Colonel William Guile approached the two men. He set his bags down and greeted Ryu first wth a slight nod of the head. "Ryu. It's been a while. I see you're doing well," Guile said as he shook Ryu's hand.
"And you, Guile," Ryu replied. At least Guile didn't have anything against him.
Guile turned to Ken and extended his hand. "Masters."
Ken grasped his hand and shook it. "Guile."
For a moment, neither man refused to let go of the other's hand. Soon, it became a test of stength as Guile and Ken tried to stare each other down, and ignoting the pain in their hands.
Ryu decided to intervene. "Okay, you guys. That's enough," he commanded.
Both in-laws then released their grip, but still kept glaring at each other. Ryu shook his head. "If you two are finished, can we go now?"
As rhe three fighters left the airport, they didn't realised that they were being watched. About fifty rards away, The Shadowlaw dolls, now dressed as tourists and Decapre without her mask, were gathering their luggage. Juli was watching the entire exchange between Ryu, Ken, and Guile.
'That's Ryu?' Juli wondered.
Juni tapped her former commander on the shoulder. "Juli, we're ready."
Juli grabbed her bags and led the other dolls out of the airport.
Note: There is a reference to Resident Evil Nemesis in here somewhere. For all my RE nuts out there, see if you can find it. Bah.
-Ryu and Chun Li's Home, a resort town near Osaka, Japan...-
A Japanese-style home in the wooded area near the city of Osaka. The place was an abandoned joint Buddhist-Shintoist temple, until while on his travels Ryu Hoshi came across it. Using the money he had from winning past tournaments (and some of Ken's money), he bought the place and he and Chun Li rennovated the place and turned it into a studio-style residence, complete with a dojo.
Of course, it took Ryu several to convince his city-bred girlfriend that a change in scenery was in order, since she had recently accepted a transfer to Interpol's Japan office and Ryu had decided to leave Tokyo and decided to set up shop in Osaka.
That was six months ago. Ryu had stopped travelling since then and continued his training, while at the same time, competing in various martial arts tournaments (and winning), while Chun Li was promoted to Chief Inspector.
Right now, Chun Li was in Hawaii and Ryu was in the living room, stretched out on the sofa, having returned from a tournament in Nagoya, in which the master of a rival karate school and about fifteen of his students attempted to gang up on him, but were all defeated with little difficulty. Rather than his usual white sleeveless karate gi, he was dressed down in a simple black T-shirt and a pair of denim jeans. A pair of sandals rested nearby, along with a pair of worn tennis shoes.
The ringing of the telephone on the coffee table arounsed him from his light nap. Yawning, he opened his eyes a crack and grabbed the telephone. "Hello?"
"Ryu." It was his childhood friend and longtime martial arts rival, Ken Masters. "I'm glad I caught you while you were at home."
Ryu yawned. "I just returned from Nagoya," he mumbled.
"Were you sleeping?"
Again Ryu yawned. "Do you have to ask? What is it?"
"Well, you know about the pageant that's going to be held in five days, right?"
"Yeah, so?"
"So, we're in a bind. One of the judges have bailed out on us and we only have nine judges left. We're supposed to have ten, but if we don't find another judge in two days, then the pageant will be called off."
"To make a long story short," Ryu surmised, "you want me to come to Hawaii as a judge for this pageant."
"Pretty much," Ken replied. "And before you say no, look at it this way. This is a paid vacation. The Masters Foundation is paying for most of the judges' tickets, with the exception of the other five. And besides, you really need a break from your 'the fight is all' routine."
"A paid vacation..." Ryu mused. "It seems tempting, but you of all people know that things don't go as planned. Give me one good reason why I should go along with this crazy idea of yours."
"What would you do if I put the words 'Chun Li' and 'bikini' in the same sentence?" Ken replied.
"I would say...what time is my flight?"
"I knew you wouldn't resist," Ken said. "Good fighter you are, but you are only human."
"Just shut the hell up and tell me the flight number, idiot," Ryu snapped.
"Japan Airlines, flight 0928, Osaka International. Your flight is in two hours. Thanks for doing this, man."
"Oh, don't thank me yet," Ryu replied before hanging up the phone and laying back down. Now he was fully awake and was looking at the ceiling. Ken DID have a point. With competing in martial arts tournaments all over Japan, China and Korea, he really do need to take a break.
That and the idea of Chun Li in a swimsuit was hard to pass up.
***
-Honolulu International Airport, the next day...-
Ryu's flight arrived in Hawaii as scheduled. Of course, Ken had failed to mention that his seat was in the first class section of the flight, not to mention that a majority of the airline's passengers were Japanese businessmen who looked down on the Shotokan fighter with a bit of disdain when they asked him what was his occupation was. When he said that he was a martial artist and was in the process of opening up a martial arts school, they openly insulted him.
Then they immediately apologized when they saw Ryu shatter a glass bottle with his bare hand.
They left Ryu alone after that.
Dressed in a sleeveless black V-necked shirt with the words KILL YOU! on the back, a pair of denim pants and tennis shoes (he even went without his headband for once), Ryu walked throughthe terminal, his white duffel bag slung over his shoulder.
At least Ken wasn't hard to find.
Ryu's longtime friend was looking for him in the airport's baggage claim. Ever the snappy dresser, Ken Masters was clad in a khaki shirt, the top unbuttoned, a pair of dark clacks, and a pair of expensive shoes. He still wore his shoulder-length in his usual style, though.
Ken finally looks in Ryu's direction and sees the Japanese fighter rapidly approaching. "Ryu!"
"Ken!" Ryu raised his fist and Ken slammed his fist into Ryu's in their ususal greeting before shaking hands. "It's good to see you again, man."
"Same here," Ken replied. The last time that he and Ryu seen each other was at Ken's wedding. That was three months ago. Since then, Ken and Eliza had moved from Seattle and back to the Masters Estate in San Francisco, mainly because Ken was promoted to vice-president of operations at the Masters Foundation.
The two men were been like brothers. Having been trained in Shotokan Karate at Gouken's dojo at an early age, they developed a close friendship...and a heated rivalry. On one end, Ryu, the reigning World Warrior champion with patience and calm (and the Dark Hadou), while Ken, an American Karate champion, was arrogant and at times, full of himself when it came to fighitng.
Ken pointed to the duffel bag that Ryu is holding. "I know you don't have any other luggage besides that duffel bag, so all we have to do now is to wait for the other judge to show up and we can leave."
"You mean, there's another judge for the pageant?" Ryu asked.
Ken nodded. "Yeah. And it happens to be my brother-in-law."
Ryu blinked. "Guile is in this?"
"He should be arriving at any moment."
Ryu sighed. William Guile was a close ally and a good fighter during the tournament, but when it came to Ken, Guile and Ken rarely got along. Occasionally, whenever they come into contact, they would butt heads about Ken's lifestyle and his playboyish ways. Ken had promised to stop chasing women when he married Eliza and he had kept his end of the bargain, much to Guile's surprise.
Guile was Ken's brother-in-law mainly because Eliza and Jane were sisters, Eliza being the youngest of the two. Of course, Jane and Guile's daughter liked Ken, and had begged Guile to try and get along with Ken, something that Guile grudgingly accepted.
Of course, Ryu would always play the peacekeeper between the two men whenver they were around.
Ryu saw something in the distance. "He's coming."
"You sure?"
Ryu smiled meanly. "I can recognize that hair a mile away."
Sure enough, it was Guile. The 'King of the Air Force,' was wearing his usual outfit--olive green tanktop underneath a camoflauge jacket, camoflauge pants, and combat boots. in his hands, he was luggint two green duffel bags.
Ryu nudged Ken. "How'd you managed to get Guile as one of the judges?"
"It was my dad's idea," Ken replied. "Guile was coming here as a guest instructor at one of the military bases here, and Dad called him in."
Ryu shrugged his shoulders. "Father knows best."
Colonel William Guile approached the two men. He set his bags down and greeted Ryu first wth a slight nod of the head. "Ryu. It's been a while. I see you're doing well," Guile said as he shook Ryu's hand.
"And you, Guile," Ryu replied. At least Guile didn't have anything against him.
Guile turned to Ken and extended his hand. "Masters."
Ken grasped his hand and shook it. "Guile."
For a moment, neither man refused to let go of the other's hand. Soon, it became a test of stength as Guile and Ken tried to stare each other down, and ignoting the pain in their hands.
Ryu decided to intervene. "Okay, you guys. That's enough," he commanded.
Both in-laws then released their grip, but still kept glaring at each other. Ryu shook his head. "If you two are finished, can we go now?"
As rhe three fighters left the airport, they didn't realised that they were being watched. About fifty rards away, The Shadowlaw dolls, now dressed as tourists and Decapre without her mask, were gathering their luggage. Juli was watching the entire exchange between Ryu, Ken, and Guile.
'That's Ryu?' Juli wondered.
Juni tapped her former commander on the shoulder. "Juli, we're ready."
Juli grabbed her bags and led the other dolls out of the airport.