After watching Ryu destroy Baldy, I hurried back home as fast as I could. I got there a liiittle bit later than I was supposed to… Okay, fine, a lot later! I had to lie to my parents and tell them that I got caught up helping a new student with directions. They seemed to buy it?... Or at least they didn't care enough to press any further. Either way, phew! Not grounded! I rushed into my room, shut the door, threw my backpack on the floor, and now here I am, logged onto my computer. The old guy said he watched videos of Ryu's other fights, right? One way or another, I will see them myself. I'm a girl on a mission, and I won't be stopped.

"Okay, what to search?... Ryu… versus… uh… Baldy?... Wait, what am I doing? I just watched that fight in-person. Also, there's no way someone already uploaded footage of it anyway… Gosh, my head is all scrambled. I can't even think straight…"

What other opponents do I search for, though? I never watched Ryu's other fights, so I don't know who they are… I guess I could just keep it simple?

"Ryu… martial… artist… street… fighting… uh… blue… fireball… attack… Yeah, sure, that sounds good."

I scroll down a lot and finally see something promising, a video titled "NEW KI WIELDER!? UNKNOWN FIGHTER DEFEATS GEKI CLAN SHINOBI! (GONE EPIC)" Yeah, it's probably clickbait, but I'm desperate, alright? I quickly hit play, and the scene comes to life, albeit through the lens of a crappy cell phone camera. Immediately, my ears hear the voice of the one filming, a man who decided to grace the viewers with his commentary.

"Rare footage of Geki actually angry" he says.

From the start, I feel kinda disappointed… Ryu's opponent, this "Geki", is already worn down. He looks just like Baldy did when I first arrived. Ugh, that sucks! I want to watch the whole thing, dang it! For the other guy to be this beat up? Ryu must have done a number on him, and I don't get to see any of it! *sigh* Oh well… I'll have to settle for what's left…

"This new guy's turtle style… has nearly overcome Geki. He's on the verge of taking this match."

More comments from the dude filming. Turtle style? Really? What, is he trying to say that Ryu is fighting defensively? I think that's a rude way to put it. My dad always says to work smarter, not harder! Maybe that's why Geki is doing so poorly. I'm sure he tried to use speedy, ninja tricks and smoke bombs to overwhelm Ryu, but he just ended up out of breath. And look at him now. I can tell he's out of ideas. It's so obvious that Ryu has him beat. And hold on! Does that ninja have a claw on his hand? Are weapons like that even legal?

"Come on, Ryu… Finish it…" Even though I already know he'll win, I can't help but quietly cheer for him from the inside of my quaint, little bedroom. I want him to crush that no-good, claw using cheater. Gosh, I'm getting so invested!

After a standstill, a move is made. Unlike last time, Ryu is the one who takes the initiative. He postures just like before, hands together, and the crowd marvels at the blue glow that appears. I can't wait to see it again!

"HADOKEN!"

It really is incredible. I don't think I'd ever get tired of seeing such otherworldly phenomena like that… How is it possible, I have to wonder. Is it really ki?...Woah, wait! The ninja! I didn't notice right away, but he dodged the fireball by jumping onto the side of the building! He caught on much quicker than Baldy did, that's for sure.

"Let's go, Gekiiii!" The guy filming shouts over the silent anticipation.

Well, it's obvious who he's rooting for. And maybe this is the ninja's own special attack. The crowd gets even more excited when they see where Geki has disappeared to. He quickly leaps to other surrounding buildings and continues to build up speed. He relies on misdirection, I guess. It doesn't take long at all for him to build up so much momentum that I can barely keep up. Can Ryu really dodge an attack this fast?

"SHAO!"

At last, the ninja lets out a ferocious shriek and flies at Ryu with that despicable claw ready to do damage. I'd be terrified to be on the other end of that, but he isn't. He stands there, unflinching, right until Geki gets close enough and…

"SHORYUKEN!"

Oh my god… I don't know how Ryu moved that fast, how he got that attack off in time, but… he did. He blasted the ninja, who was quickly flying toward him, with a brutal, jumping uppercut. I can't stop rewinding and replaying it over and over… He got hit in the stomach so hard that you can practically see every last bit of air burst out of his mouth. It's… gross, but also… really cool… No, it's more than that, it's awe inspiring. I want to meet him. I wanna learn to do that. I wanna be the one on the street, surrounded by a cheering crowd, testing myself against the best in the world. Maybe I'm getting in way over my head, but… I think this is what I want.

"Unbelievable! The new guy counters with the legendary rising uppercut for the win!"

Everyone applauds that finish. Even the ones cheering for Geki can't help but join in. It's only right, after all. He deserves all the props in the world for pulling off a feat like that. I'm still full of excitement after watching it, and I'm only seeing it through a recording. I wish I could keep analyzing it, but I have homework to finish and chores to do. I save the video for later and head out for the kitchen.

It's there, while I'm preparing some delicious instant-ramen, that I start thinking about my future… Me? A street fighter?... Admittedly, I'd never put too much thought into what I'd end up doing in life. This is the first time I've ever felt so motivated to pursue something, though. I'm not sure if this is only a fleeting passion, but shouldn't I avoid letting these feelings go to waste?... I'm just not sure…

Oh, screw it! I'm Sakura Kasugano! I said I wanted to meet Ryu one day, and I meant it! I'll get strong. I'll get strong enough to fight in the World Warrior Tournament. And if I get that far, then maybe, juuust maybe, I'll find him in on my journey. Then I'll show him how strong I've gotten! He'll be so impressed that he'll have no choice but to train me as his disciple! He'll teach me all of his best techniques like the blue fireball, and… Wait, there's a real name for that, isn't there? He shouts something when he uses it… Eh, whatever… So, yeah! I'll master the blue fireball just like he has, and once I've done that- *gasp* No, no, nooo! I burned my noodles! Why do I keep daydreaming like this?!

Yep. And that's when I started. I officially started my training that day. I was trying everything you could think of! Push-ups, Sit-ups, squats, running, weightlifting (we don't own any weights, so I just lifted heavy boxes…) and I even found an old mattress that I used as a punching bag! I really gave this training my all. I was serious about it! So serious that after the first week, my parents were getting sorta… worried about me? Mom would watch me train with those sad eyes of hers, and then she'd start to probe me for clues. "Sakura, what's the reason for all this?" she'd ask. I couldn't tell her that I was working toward becoming a street fighter, so… I had to lie again and tell her that I was just enthusiastic about living healthy and keeping my body in the best condition. I think she saw through this one, though…

"Sweetie, are you trying to get stronger because there are bullies at school bothering you? You should have told us! We'll call the school and get things sorted out for you, okay?" Once I heard that, I started getting annoyed. "No, Mom! Quit it! This isn't about any of that, honest!" Then Dad gets cheeky and blurts out "Ah, I see now. You're trying to put some muscle on to impress a boy, eh? Well, no need to worry, Sakura. A guy's dream girl is delicate and petite. You're already more than cute enough the way you are, so don't feel like you need to change, alright?" Then I really started getting irritated… "D-Dad, no, I… Gahhh! Fine, y'know what? Sure, that's what it is. I'm trying to impress a boy, okay? Will you two let me train without all these questions now?" Of course, that just makes them freak out in a completely different way… "Oh, honey! Our darling daughter is in love! Isn't that precious?" Ugh… I have the most embarrassing parents on the planet! "It sure is, dear. This is exciting news, but promise me, Sakura, that you'll let the lucky guy have a talk with me first, you get me? Gotta be certain that he meets all of your old man's requirements."

After their nonsense became too much to bear, I just walked away. There's simply no winning against those two. Their concerns can be so silly, too! "Bullies?" C'mon, Mom, have some faith in me! I've been beating up bullies since I started school. And I've always enjoyed sports, especially for a girl. Some kids even make fun of me for it, telling me that I'm actually a boy that hides my true identity. I don't let any of that get to me, but… I am more of a… tomboy, I guess. Is it really that weird that I wanna train and grow stronger? I don't understand why everyone acts like it's so strange…

Aaanyway… enough about my family drama. (I don't even know why I'm sharing all that. TMI, right?) While the running and lifting is important, what I truly enjoy is what I call my "Ansatsuken Training"! Basically, I bring my laptop out into the backyard with me, I turn on that video of Ryu's fight against the ninja, I study his blue fireball technique (the Hadoken is what it's called!) and the rising uppercut, and then I do my best to learn them myself! I… haven't been very successful yet… My hands don't glow blue no matter how many times I try… but what's important is that I'm trying! It's all about hard work and discipline! I'll master these moves yet!

"Uh… Sis? What the heck are you doing?"

"Go away, Tsukushi. I'm training."

"Yeah, no… I've seen you train before. I don't know why you do it, but you run all the time, and other times I can hear you punching that mattress out here."

"Right, that's my training. Just like I'm doing right now."

"Psh! No, you're not! You're just doing goofy poses! Are you pretending to be a superhero or something? I thought you were too old for that, but I guess the world is full of surprises."

Ugh! Stupid Tsukushi! I once thought that a kid brother would make for a great addition to my life, but this little runt is constantly a pain in my butt…

"It's a different kind of training, okay? These 'poses' are actually Ansatsuken martial arts techniques."

"Hah! What?! Who told you that? The uppercut I kinda get, but the other one? How is that gonna hurt anyone?"

"Look, if you really wanna understand so bad, then watch this…"

"Ah, this must be the superhero show you're obsessed with."

"Oh, shut up, you brat. This is a real street fight between martial artists. Now watch right here… See that?! That's the 'pose' that I'm trying to replicate. One day it won't just be a pose, though. I'll genuinely be throwing Hadokens from my hands like Ryu does."

"Wait… Sis, you can't be serious. You think this is real?"

"Huh? Do I think what's real?

"This guy throwing a fireball from his hands. That's obviously just special effects. And see how bad the video quality is? That's intentional. It makes it easier to fake this stuff."

"You're so wrong on this one. I saw another one of Ryu's fights on my way home from school the other day. The Hadoken is real. He uses ki, Tsukushi."

"Yeah, whatever. This is beyond stupid, and I'm bored. I was just looking for you so we could play some video games. You in?"

"…What game?"

"Darkstalkers."

"No. A hundred times no."

"Aw, c'mon, Sis! Don't be such a coward!"

"No way. I'm not gonna waste my day away as your training mode dummy. I have real training to do."

"But it's not the same version! This is a new release! Darkstalkers 3!

"How much has really changed, though? I bet this is another one of those lazy re-releases where they add a couple new characters, they throw in a new game mechanic, and then slap the word 'super' in front of the title to make it sound new, when it's actually just a cheap cash-grab that plays the same as the last."

"Uh… Felicia's better in this one! She's your favorite character!"

"What difference does it make? No matter what fighting game we play, it only takes you, at most, an hour to find something cheap and then I never win again."

"When did that ever happen? What games are you even talking about?"

"Power Stone, Cyberbots, Star Gladiator, Red Earth, Marvel Super Heroes, Heritage for the Future, Tech Romancer… Do I need to keep going?"

"Alright, alright! Forget it! I'll play against the computer or something! Have fun with your… poses."

These were how my days looked for a while. School, eating, training, sleeping. Games are fun, don't get me wrong… but when I've got my eye on something, I chase after it with a single-minded intensity! As the weeks went by, I started to stagnate, despite my devotion to training. I needed to take the next step toward realizing my dream, and that's exactly what I did! That step manifested in a… peculiar way, but it wasn't all bad! In the end, I somehow found both my first teacher and a life-long friend. He's the legendary (self-proclaimed, that is…) Mr. Hibiki!