THE WORLD WARRIORS TEAM:
The breeze is chilly on a flat mountain top in Tibet. The snow capped mountains sparkle as the sun is beginning to set. Loud thumps are heard near a small hut, where smoke can be seen rising from a chimney.

Outside, a man in a white karate gi and red headband is punching a smooth, thick pole, stretching 15 feet in height. The man is sweating and panting despite the cold mountain air.

Just then, the man stops. Gazing into space, he begins to daydream...

The man's surrounded by fire, crouching on his knee, weakened and close to collapsing from fatugue. He's in the middle of a courtyard in front of a burning dojo. The man looks up to see a strange being standing on the burning front pourch. The new man tosses a dead body to the ground. A red glowing kanji symbol appears on the back of the his black gi. In a flash, the man turns his head to the side and glares with red eyes at the weakened fighter.

"Ahhh!" The man in white wakes up from his dream, leaps high into the air, and kicks the top of the pole, splintering it. He lands on his feet and pants, both in fatigue and shock.

"Ryu!" A voice calls from inside the hut. Ryu turns to the one who called him. "Ryu, you make me tired just watching you. You take your training a little too seriously. Come in and have a cup of tea."

Ryu gives a quick grin. "Sure. I think I'll take a break."

Ryu enters the hut and is greeted by a large sumo wrestler. The sumo hands Ryu a cup of tea and sits down in a chair. "Thank you Honda." Ryu sits down in a couch and sips his tea.

"What time is he coming? He's late." Honda twitches in his chair to get more comfortable. "Sagat is on his way. He'll arrive soon," Ryu replied.

"But, isn't he your enemy? What made you decide to contact your bitter rival and ask him for help?"

"I didn't. He contacted me for help. He sent a messenger to me when I was in town the other day. Don't worry, Sagat is a changed man." Ryu put his cup onto a coffee table. "He was blinded by revenge after I scarred his chest in that battle long ago. But after he helped me defeat Bison, Sagat realized there's more to fighting than revenge. It's the thrill of the fight that matters." He nods. "He's right."

Suddenly, the sound of a helicopter appears in the distance. E. Honda and Ryu get up and leave to hut to see what's going on.

Outside, a helicopter touches down. Two figures leap out and approach the hut. One of the men was Sagat. The other, Ryu's long time friend and rival Ken Masters.

"Hey Ryu, you're looking good. Have you been training?" Ryu grins and crosses his arms. "Hello Ken. Hello Sagat. Yes, I've been training ever since we left our dojo, waiting for the rematch we still owe each other."

"We'll take care of that later, but first, we have to prepare for that tournament."

Ryu changed the subject. "I want to ask you Sagat, why were you so distressed when you contacted me? Is something happening?"

Sagat stepped forward. "Yes. I've found out from the Thai military that Bison hasn't been destroyed completely. He has made an alliance with a known nuclear arms dealer known only by the letter "R", and had entered the Mark of the Millenium 2001 tournament in Osaka to reveal his presance to the world. I've asked you and Ken to help me destroy him once and for all."

Ryu's eyes went wide. He was shocked. "Yes Sagat, I will help you defeat that madman. But why enter a fighting tournament to accomplish his goal?"

Neither of them had a clue.

Sagat walked out of the hut. He was obviously still nervous around his former bitter enemy. Meanwhile, Ken looked over at his long time friend and grinned.

"Hey Ryu, should we practice for the tournament? I'll go easy on you. This wont count as our rematch." Ken extended a hand to help Ryu up off the chair he was sitting in.

"Sure. Let's go," he replied.

"Better get ready Ryu. I've won 5 tournaments this past two months. You wont stand a chance pal!"

The two friends headed towards the door when Ryu stopped and turned to Edmund Honda. "Honda, have you decided to enter the tournament?"

"Yeah, it's gonna be great. I'm leaving tomorrow to get my team set up. I have an idea for someone to recruit. I don't know who my third member will be, but I'll find one, no problem! Ha ha!"

"Alright. Let's train." Ryu and Ken leave the hut to have a practice spar. Honda followed and stood near Sagat, who was lost in thought.

In the distance, a metalic hovering box speeds away...