The training for the world's strongest fighters continued as the countdown to the final days of the great tournament continued.

Some trained in gyms,dojos,and even in the streets of their country and city.

Fighters punched and kicked sandbags,some smashed through massive blocks of ice and others trained and sparred with each other in fighting rings.

Ryu and Sakura trained together in the back yard of the dojo,both harnessing their powerful Hadou-beam forces.

Both formed huge orbs of white ki energy in their very hands,and both were aiming at a round target board sticking from the ground.

Ryu maintained it a very steady rate,but Sakura even at her current age was a bit of trouble keeping hers steady.

"Nnnnghh---urrghh.."she replied as her body shook.

"Steady,Sakura."said the master. "You can do this,I've trained your focus enough to do so."

"I know sensei."said Sakura. "I just…never--had to hold a huge helping of ki energy--like this--before."

"Maintain focus and hold it."said Master Ryu. "If I can do this,so can you."

After yet another minute of focus,Ryu finally said the word.

"NOW--RELEASE!"said Ryu.

"YAAHH!"cried Sakura as she and her master released the Hadoukens from their fingertips.

"FWOOOSH!"

The pair of large Hadouken blasts flew straight at the board and smashed it apart into a thousand pieces.

"You did it,Sakura!"said Ryu smiling. "See I told you could do it."

Sakura stood panting and huffing.

"Yes,thank you sensei."she said. "But..it was like holding a jackhammer in place,it…it shook me to my limbs."

"Yes..that's how I felt as well when Master Gouken trained me the ways of the Hadou."said Ryu. "It is indeed a powerful force by far.

But we've come this far in your training,if you keep at it hard enough,you'll become the first ever female Shotokan warrior."

"And that's what I intend to do!"said Sakura. "I shall make my friends,family..oh and you sensei--proud!"

Ryu smiled. "Good to hear."said Ryu. "And remember..this is no ordinary contest you will fight in. The World Warrior has attracted many powerful and deadly fighters both good and evil from around the world.

I fear..even some old enemies may try to appear at the contest."

"If you mean Akuma and any of Bison or Gill's old boys."said Sakura. "We'll send'em back like we always did,sensei!"

"I hope so,Sakura."said Ryu. "I hope so."

While back in the USA..

Sean and Mel trained with each other in the huge yard of the Masters mansion.

Mel swung several punches and kicks at Sean,while the Brazillian fighter blocked them off.

While they sparred,Ken was in his training dojo barn.

He stood across from a sandbag that hung from the ceiling,and he was clad in a pair of grey gi pants with black belt.

He was also thinking about what Karin said.

"Karin might still be a spoiled little brat at heart sometimes."he thought. "But she knows the call to the fight..that we all need to answer at times.

Running this company has..softened me a little..but..that's gonna change right now!"

Ken then rushed at the bag and unleashed a furious array of punches and kicks at it.

"YAAH--YAHH-HAII!"he cried.

"Come on Mel m'man."said Sean beckoning him. "You wanna compete in that tourney..you gotta get good while the getting's good!"

Mel stood trying to catch his breath.

"I..I know Sean."he said. "Just..gimme a moment."

Mel then caught his breath and then went for an attack again.

He swung into a helicopter attack,but Sean ducked it and then fired a Hadouken at his back.

"UNNF!"Mel crashed to the ground.

"Nice try."said Sean as he jumped at Mel. "But it may look I may be going to sensei's place after all kid."

But just as he got close enough,Mel sprung back up and swung a roundhouse kick at Sean.

Sean barely dodged it,and then gave Mel a chance to thrust again at Sean and land a fast and hard Shoryuken into his chin.

"SHORYUKEN!"cried Mel as he launched the punch.

"UNNGHH!"cried Sean as he was knocked backwards and fell on his rump.

"You were saying dread-head?"said Mel.

Sean rubbed his chin.

"Okay..maybe..we'll both head there..heh."he said.

Sean then got up and bowed to Mel.

"Good job..so far."he said.

Mel bowed back.

"Thanks..sensei."said Mel. "Let's continue shall we?"

"Yeah,let's."said Sean.

But before they could continue,they heard a loud and familiar war-cry.

"SHINRYUKEN!"

"Huh--could it be?"said Sean.

"D-Dad..?"said Mel in surprise.

"Come on!"said Sean as he and Mel ran to the barn.

They both took a peek inside and found…

…Ken himself slamming several Dragon Punches into the sandbag he used.

"SHORYUKEN!"said Ken as he slammed a fiery Dragon Punch into the bag.

"SHINRYUKEN!"he then cried as he did his upper spin punch next.

Once he landed,he slammed a furious spin kick into the bag and then finished it off with another Fiery Dragon Punch!

The last punch caused the bag to explode in a furry of sawdust.

"Oh yeah--!"said Ken as he landed back on his feet. "I still got it!"

Sean and Mel clapped to their hero.

"Way to go,master."said Sean. "I see you're back into it then?"

"Yeah,are you gonna fight in the WW as well,dad?"said Mel.

"Am I?"said Ken. "Am I ever! I had a little…pep talk with a..friend if you'd call her that.

Now..how about some real sparring with a real fighter then?"

"With..with you,master?"said Sean.

"Whatsamatter,Sean?"said Ken. "Training my boy make ya feel a little..soft?"

"Soft?"said Sean. "Hey,I learned the best from you sensei..I kept my training up even after you went to run your dad's company."

"Then show me what you've learned."said Ken.

Sean coughed and then cracked his knuckles.

"Hang loose,Mel."he said. "This might..not take long."

"If you say so."said Mel leaning against the doorway.

Sean then ran at Ken and a sheer spar fight unfolded right before his very eyes.

While across the globe…

Zangief sparred with a huge training dummy in the ring,he slammed it on the ring floor several times to perfect his grapple and slamming moves.

Honda sparred and defeated several young sumos in his gym,perfecting his own grapple techniques.

T.Hawk watched with content as he watched his sister Juli continue her training.

She slammed several chops,punches and kicks into a handmade training dummy her brother made for her.

Fei Long trained in the courtyard of his training hall,he waved his arms and thrust his legs in various manners.

Dee Jay trained hard on the beach as he moved his body in styles of kickboxing and capeoria.

Blanka,in his beastial form ran and jumped across many trees and swung through the jungles of Brazil.

He then roller balled into the air and landed on his feet like a graceful cat.

"ARROOO!"he howled and then reverted back to his human form.

"Oh yeah---feels great!"he said.

Cammy was back in her homeland of England as she ran and jumped and flipped across the padded floor of the gymnasium she was in.

Chun-Li trained her star pupil in the main training hall,they both kicked at the air several times with their lightning kicks attack.

Balrog,after being humiliated by Guile like that,decided enough was enough and he got back into the ring of a local boxing gym and started to punch it out with some of the locals.

"+%%+ man!"said a young boxer outside the ring. "Whodathunk,Balrog's back!"

Dhalsim sat in mid air as he watched his young son now a young man train in the ways of the yoga fighting art.

He thrust his limbs several times until they began to elongate like his father's always did.

"Good,very good."said Dhalsim.

Guile trained hard in the exercise and weights room of the air force base.

He flipped several times with his Flash Kick and flung several Sonic Booms at the target boards.

"I swear,"he thought. "if Bison isn't dead--I'll make sure he stays dead--Ryu or not! And I swear by all I hold dear..that I'll save you Charlie--no matter what!"

In the darkness of Shadowloo's base.

A lone fighter dressed in black garb and mask ran across the room and spotted various training dummies as well.

He then ran and jumped into the air and then soared downward at the dummies.

Once he landed,he then attacked at full speed and within a flash of movement,the dummie's heads all fell off to the floor.

His left hand revealed an outward grown claw had suddenly formed within his hand.

He then retracted it back into his hand again.

"Most excellent."said a voice across from him in the darkness.

"I did well rescuing you from that government research facility."he said. "And I made you anew with my own technology.

Yes..a pity that it sacrificed your very--beauty that you always spout of…but it's for the best that I did a mind wipe on you to begin with..making you my obedient slave forevermore.

But..you shall serve a good enough purpose here--when I enter you in the tournament.

You may have lost your beauty…but your killing instinct will always remain the same--and as sharp as ever.

Yes..you shall show them all…that VEGA has at last returned with a vengance!"

The masked ninja said nothing,save for a glowing gleam in his pupil less eyes.

Alex was in fact ecstatic that someone had the guts to at last revive the old WW contest.

"Shoulda known it be mr.money bags himself."thought Alex. "But hey,better late than never right?"

Alex lifted up the pair of dumbbells and lifted them straight to the ceiling.

"Looks like I've got my work cut out for me here!"he thought while lifting the weights. "I may have won the last contest…but there's no telling how strong---Ryu,Ken,Hugo,Chun-Li,or any of them might be if I see them there--!"

Alex then let down the weights and took a breather.

"Never thought I'd have to defend my title--"he thought. "--but I guess the time would come sooner or later."

Cody also continued his training at a local gym in Tokyo,prior several hours to his recent fight with Dan.

He slammed as many punches and kicks as he could into the sandbag.

"Just you wait---Dan,Guy and the rest of them!"he thought as sweat poured down his face.

"Cody's gonna kick all your asses!"

Guy and Maki sparred with each other on a large and thick log between two cliffs.

Maki swung a spin kick at her sensei,but Guy simply ducked it and then appeared behind her.

But just as she stopped spinning,she turned and did a rush elbow into his gut.

"OOOF!" replied Guy as he staggered backwards,but kept on his feet.

"How was that,sensei?"said Maki grinning.

"As..grand as ever..just like I taught you."said Guy. "But remember…"

Guy then vanished and re-appeared in a shadow warp behind her.

He then tripped her with a tap of his foot,causing her to fall on her knees.

"…there's still much to learn in the Bushin ways."he said.

"Errgh..rright."she replied.

Yang began to train in the courtyard of a great Shaolin temple,he slashed his arms in a continuous motion.

A pair of monks watched with great admiration.

"His grandfather,the legendary Gen would be most proud of him."said the monk on the left.

"Yes he would."said the monk on the right. "But I wonder how his brother is doing these days?"

While at that exact same moment,Yun Lee was in his training and exercise room preparing for the big contest as well.

He thrust forward with several of his dash punches and went upwards with his flailing kicks.

"Just you wait big bro!"he thought. "My years of culinary arts hasn't softened me any!"

While just outside Tokyo..

Grand Master Ibuki ran across the hillside and went about jumping and hopping through and off many massive trees,perfecting her ninjitsu skills.

She even threw several daggers and shuriken blades at the trees as well.

While deeper within the countryside of Japan…

Kairi and his sisters Hokuto and Naneese trained as well for the big event.

"Garuda may have very well been the beginning."thought Kairi. "I fear that there may be others who will threaten the safety of Japan as well at the torunament.

While in Thailand..

Akuma,still in posession of Sagat's body trained long and hard as well.

He smashed several stones and statues with his massive and empowered hands.

"Even though I always found the recent contests somewhat inferior."he thought. "This will be the perfect cover for the one called Sagat to make his comeback.

And I'm sure that no matter what..Ryu himself will either view or attend the contest for his little…'student' as well. Either way..by the time the contest is over--WE SHALL BOTH COME TO BLOWS---AND IT WILL BE FOR THE FINAL TIME!"

Urien at his mansion home trained hard for the upcoming battle,he slammed several blows against the heavy pads that his servants held for him,and he blasted his electromagnetic sphere at several target boards.

"Soon,very soon now."he thought.

Karin also did the same training in her study and training hall.

Wearing an aikido style outfit of red and black,she slammed many kicks into an oversized training dummy she had ordered and then thrust her fist straight through it's chest.

"YES!"she said. "My years of being a businesswoman haven't pampered me to say the least."

"Soon..Sakura and I shall have our final outing and we'll see who is Tokyo's strongest!"

And while at the Metro City hospital..

Rose had at last made it back to the earth realm and then entered her spirit form into her still living body.

Once she made it,the EG came beeping to life and she then awoke.

"I..think it's time I made my comeback as well."she thought. "The street fighters need me once again."

Oro sat upon the top of a flying airline craft.

He also was heading to the contest,there was no need for training for his wealth of experience,but his time was fast approaching.

The mysterious man who was running Shadowloo sat once again at his computer desk and various monitors.

"Yes…"he thought. "…once again fists and sparks shall fly at Masters own tournament. And once the dust is cleared…only one shall rule the world,fighters and all--HAHAHAHA!"