Ryu jumped away from Nida’s swinging blade baton and got into fight stance.
“Wh-who are you?”he said. “Why are you attacking me?”

“As I said,my name is Nida.”said the woman.
“Nida?”said Ryu surprised. It was the same woman who Kimori Hinako was speaking about,her own daughter. But…why did she want to kill him?

“Now,hold on a second here…Nadi.”said Ryu. “I’ve come back here to train not---whooaah!”
Ryu’s sentence was cut off short as the assassin poured on the attack.

“You’re training all right!”she said. “Training for your next kill no less! Remember this,Ryu Hoshi! As I kill you,remember who’s father you slain back in the Philippines,for his daughter shall now have vengeance! YAAAAAHH!”

Nida then jumped high into the air over Ryu and was directly behind him.
Ryu swung around and charged up his chi energy for a Hadouken attack.
“I don’t want to harm her.”he thought. “But I’ll just charge up enough chi to disarm her of her weapon.

“HADOUKEN!”he shouted and cut loose at her.
But just as she was close enough to the flying projectile,she simply swung out her blade baton,and shorted out the fireball.

Ryu was shocked as he saw what happened.
“Wh-what…how did you---no one can simply knock away a fireball with a bladed weapon!”he said.
“I have learned how to focus my own chi into my weapons.”said Nadi. “And I even fashioned the blades from a strange and mysterious metal. A metal my old science teacher found years ago after I graduated.

I’m not aware of it’s origins,but as I discovered before it can conduct and short out any chi attack known. So as you can see…I shall be the ulitmate opponent you have ever faced ,Ryu Hoshi!”

“This…is not going to be good.”thought Ryu.

Back in Los Angeles California,USA…

Ken Masters had awoke from bed the next day. Even after he ate breakfast,he was still feeling drained and had quite a headache from the injuries he had received from the terrible Shadaloo twoseome.

He arose from bed and went over to look at his head,it still had the bandage on and it still felt quite tender.

He was glad that the stranger was there to help him,but he knew he had to get back to his loved ones,as well as inform Ryu of the incoming menace that Sagat was going to pose.

Suddenly,he heard something outside.

“PANTHER STRIKE!” called a voice,followed by the crackling of wood being smashed apart.

“What th…?”said Ken as he rushed over to the nearest window.
There,outside on the beach,Ken saw the same hippie-looking man who nursed him back to his health,he was training some fighting moves outside.

He had on a grey pair of gi pants with white trim around the pant’s legs and a solid black belt around the waist.

He also had on light brown fighter’s gloves and his glasses were off,revealling less hippy and more of an age-old master of martail arts.

Set before him was a stack of wooden planks upon a metal rack which was for hand-chopping as well as concrete pipes that stood upward upon the flatter parts of sand.

The man then placed one foot and hand forward in a fight stance while his other hand charged up a sort of green aura of chi energy.

After a few seconds,he was completely charged up and he then shouted…
“PANTHER STRIKE!” and he then threw his arm forward and released a green claw shaped projectile that flew straight at the pipe.

The projectile hit the pipe’s center and cut it in two,causing the top to fall to the ground.

The man then ran at the pipe and turned his body clockwise.
Once he did that,he lashed out his keft leg and smashed apart the rest of the pipe in one blow!
“SKRAAKKK!” The pipe turned to dust from the kick’s impact.

“WOW!”said Ken. “This guy is amazing----but who is he?”

The young warrior then exited from his room and began to look around for some picture ID or something to tell who he really was.

Just then,a glint from an open door next to the living room.
Ken entered the room and found a small study.

There was a wooden desk,a few bookshelfs,a typewriter on the table and there in front of the window was the gleaming glint that caught Ken’s eyes.

It was a huge gold karat trophy,complete with two pillars built at the base and the figurine of a man doing a karate kick.

Below on it’s grey plaque read the words:
“WINNER OF THE ALL-AMERICAN MARTIAL ARTS TOURNAMENT OF 1970—STEVEN DAWSON A.K.A.THE PANTHER!”

“The---panther.”said Ken. “Of course that’s it---the legendary grey panther of the US championship! He’s a legend but---he disapperead back in 87. I was rescued by him eh?”

Suddenly,Ken heard a door opening and rushed straight back to bed.

Steve/Panther came in and dried off his head and shoulders from the sweat with a towel.
He flexed a muscle. “Nice to see I can still do it again after all these years.”he thought. “But…I’m just an aging old fighter who hasn’t had a real challenge in years. Oh,to be young again.”

Steven then looked in on Ken,who was still asleep by the looks of it.
“Well,at least he’s resting.”he thought. “But when he has the strength to recover,he needs to get back in touch with his loved ones,if any.”

While back in Japan…

The grudge battle raged on between Ryu and Nida.
Nida swung and jumped at Ryu,but the Shotokan kept more defense than offense at his attacker as he managed to dodge and block off the attacks.

Nida swung a kick,Ryu blocked it off,then she thrust her blade baton at him,but Ryu sidestepped from it,this was making Nida even more furious.
Nida then swung and thrust in a furry of attacks at Ryu,but each time she did,he just dodged and jumped away from them.

On the last one,Ryu jumped over Nida and then shoved her to the ground.

Nida then got back up and jumped away from Ryu and tried doing another attack.
“Why do you do this…?”she said. “Why do you not fight back?”
“Because this is wrong Nida!”said Ryu. “I do not fight with those who use either weapons,or motives of vengeance! And I know you’ll find this hard to believe—but I didn’t kill anyone before in my life!”

“LAIR!”she spat at Ryu and then took something from her back pocket and threw it down towards him.

Ryu picked up the photo.
It was a picture of a man in his mid-thirties with black wavy hair and green eyes.
“The man in the photo is Det.Lt.Shiki Phiua.”she said. “My father,he is the one who lead the drug bust back in my homeland. And he is the one you slain with your own bare hands!”

“I----I admit I don’t know who this is!”said Ryu. “Nida you have it all wrong,whoever killed your father,must’ve been someone who looked like me!”

“NO MORE TALK!”she said. “YOU DIE!”
Nida then threw something else down at Ryu,and once it hit the ground,smoke exploded from it.

The smoke was in fact some sort of gas that played havoc with Ryu’s senses and caused him to start coughing wildly as well.

With him distaracted by the gas,Nida saw her chance and jumped back down at Ryu.
She then swiped the blade at him,cutting him on the left arm and then across the chest.

Ryu winced in pain and tried to fight back,but before he could,Nida kneed him in the groin,causing him to fall to the ground.

“You don’t seem stronger then I saw you.”she said. “No matter,you shall indeed die---NOW!”
She then raised her blade over Ryu,ready for the kill.

Suddenly,she heard a voice..
“NIDA—NOO!”

She turned and saw her mother,standing upon the hillside with a look of terror in her eyes.
“M-mother----!”she said.
“What on earth are you doing?”she said.

Nida paused and said:”Forgive me mother,but---justice must be served!”

But before she could strike,something slammed into her back,knocking her across the ground.
As she turned to get back up,she saw it was a large sumo who did it,and it was Honda himself.

“There’s a lot of difference between vengeance and justice little cherry blossom.”he said. “And you were about to commit the former of the latter!”

“So…Ryu calls out his thug allies then.”she said. “You shall all die by my hand!”
“What are you doing Nida?”said Mrs.Hinako. “Is this why you have placed your presence here in Master Long’s sanctuary---to find and kill Ryu?”

“Mother,do you not forget what happened to father?”she said. “This man is the one who killed him—Ryu is the my father’s killer!”

Hinako turned to Ryu.
“Is—is this true Ryu-san?”she said.
“It’s not true!”said Ryu. “None of it is!”
“I can vouch for Ryu.”said Honda. “He’s an honorable warrior,not some murderous lowlife! He’d never do that!”

“Why is it I cannot believe your words then?”said Nida.
“You are blinded with hate and rage Nida.”said Ryu. “Look into your heart and decide.”

Nida turned from the others,her hand clutching her baton blade.
“I must leave then.”she said. “I cannot train under Sheng Long with him in this condition,but we shall met again Hoshi,we shall met again at the upcoming Street Fighter tournament! Only then,will we decide who is right or wrong!"

She then ran off from the woods.
“NIDA—WAIT!”she said.
“There’s nothing you can do for her now Mrs.Hinako.”said Ryu. “She’s been blinded by rage.”
“Oh,why didn’t I see this sooner?”she said. “She never told me that she had gotten a good look at the killer of my husband but…how can she it was you,if you say you didn’t do it?”

“That I’m not aware of ma’mm.”said Ryu. “But I think I know who or what may have been responsible for it. And I think I can now see why she chose to stay with my old sensei.”

“Yes,she…she wanted to learn the ways of the chi under him---and to get at you.”she said with tears in her eyes. “Oh,my poor Nida,she was always a sweet caring,loving girl.”

“Yeah,and she was cute too.”said Honda.
“C’mon,maybe she went back to the home of Master Long.”said Ryu.

The three went back to the dojo home of Sheng Long,but when they got there,she was gone,her belongings and weapons were taken with her.

Ryu looked inside her room and saw several training dummies with pictures of his face on them all torn assunder,no doubt by her blade tonfas.

“Oh my word…”said Mrs.Hinako. “…no wonder my Nida didn’t want me looking in her room. I---I had no idea that she was planning this the whole time.”

“At times,even our own children can be lead astray.”said Ryu. “C’mon,we need to tell Master Long.
Ryu,along with Hinako and Honda told the sensei of what had occurred with Nida.

“It is as I feared.”he said. “If I had known she enrolled here for selfish reasons,I would not allow her to stay here. I sensed she had a strong will of determination,but I suppose that was for her sense of vengance for you,Ryu.”

Mrs.Hinako began crying non-stop.
“Ooohhh…my poor Nida---what’s going to happen to her?”she said.
“She’ll probably go off to train and then enter the tournament to take out Ryu.”said Honda.
“I may have to fight her.”said Ryu. “But no matter what,I shall see to it that she does not carry out her personal task of vengeance.

Sensei,it is unfortunate for your poisoning,but I shall continue to strengthen my powers and strength no matter what and put an end to the nightmare we are facing.”

“Your words bring joy to my heart my student.”said Long. “See to it that you do,and be prepared for anything. I sense that many great dangers are gathering for what may be ahead. And..once my strength completely returns I shall help in any way possible with the threat of this…Bison.”

Ryu nodded and then went back to train with Honda following him.
“It’s fortunate you were in the area Honda.”said Ryu. “I am indebted to you.”
“Aw don’t mention it.”he said. “I decided to do some training with you,since there will be other warriors besides sumos at the tourney,I decided to get some real training with someone else,how about it?”

“Sounds good.”said Ryu. “Let’s get back to the woods.”

The two warriors faced off with each other in the forest.
Honda did his Thousand Slap Attack at Ryu,but the karate blocked it off and then grabbed one of the Sumo’s hand,throwing him over his shoulder.

While this was happening,all the other Street Fighters across the globe continued their trainging,for the up and coming Street Fighting World Warrior Tournament.

And back at a secluded area in Japan’s countryside beside the mountains,a lone warrior engulfed in darkness was training also to kill those he vowed to face.

He slammed the palms of his fists down upon large boulders and rocks,shattering them into a million pieces.

“I shall face those who are as powerful as I when the time comes.”he thought. “Bison..Sagat…Ryu…and even my brother…Sheng Long….!”

A red symbol kanji appeared on the back of him,it was a symbol meaning TEN.
Whoever he was,it was known that he was not the only threat besides M.Bison and Shadaloo that Ryu and the rest of the street fighters would face.