Street Fighter 3 Ch. 1
By Raging Demon

NEW YORK CITY, NY (10:30 am)

On this sunny Saturday morning, Ken Masters was training his student, Sean, in his backyard. "C'mon, Sean!" yelled Ken. "You're fireball barely travels beyond your fist! If you want to be as great as yours truly, you're going to have to try a lot harder!" "Yes sensei," said Sean.

During Sean's training, Eliza came outside, holding a letter. "Hi Honey," said Eliza. Ken grabbed his wife and gave her a kiss. "What's this?" Ken asked. "Oh, it's a letter from Ryu," replied Eliza, and gave the letter to him. "He says he's coming to visit in 2 days," said Ken. "Sounds good." "You'll finally have the chance to meet my pal from Japan, Sean," said Ken with a smile on his face.

2 days later...

Eliza was making dinner when she heard a knock at the door. She grabbed it, and there stood Ryu. "Hey Ryu!" said Eliza, cheerfully, and gave him a big hug. "Hello, Eliza. How are you?" asked Ryu, smiling. "I'm fine," she replied. "Long time no see. Ken is upstairs, playing with Mel. I'll go get him. Ken!" she yelled. "There's someone here to see you!" Ken walked down the stairs with Mel riding on his back. "Hey pal," said Ken. "How've ya' been?" "I'm doing well," Ryu replied. "How about you?" "Never better," said Ken. "And how are you, Mel?" asked Ryu. "Good. Me and Daddy were playing star gladiator, and I beat him 8 times in a row!" said Mel, excitedly. "You wanna play too, Uncle Ryu?" He asked. "Maybe later, son," said Ken. "Ryu and I need some time to talk."

Ryu and Ken stood on Ken's porch, having a nice talk, which brought back a lot of memories. They had lost contact with each other during the intervening years between championships, seeing as how Ryu's a hard man to locate. The fact that Ryu hadn't dropped him a line sooner didn't bother Ken. Ryu, unlike Ken, had given his life to the way of the warrior, and even though Ken did not prefer this kind of lifestyle, He respected it. He knew that he and Ryu would remain best friends. They were happy to see eachother.

"So what've you been up to, buddy?" asked Ken. "Nothing much. I ran into Edmond Honda not too long ago," Ryu replied. "He's engaged." "Edmond Honda-the Yokozuna?" asked Ken, surprised. "Yes," Ryu replied. "Whoa," said Ken. "E's engaged. You should try getting married...It changes a man. Speaking of which, have you met someone yet?" "No...Still training?" asked Ryu, trying desperately to change the subject. Ken chuckled to himself, realizing what Ryu was trying to do. "All the time," Ken replied. "Heheh, It's not surprising that you haven't met anyone yet since I've always been more popular with the ladies. You're just too dull." This reminded Ryu of the time when he and Ken were hanging out at Mt Fuji bar in San Francisco. A group of local soldiers and their girlfriends were sitting at a table. Ken walked over to their table and asked if he could have a word with one of the guy's girlfriends. He leaned over to her and whispered something in her ear and She obviously liked what he said. She got up and the two walked over to the bar. This got her boy friend angry and a fight erupted. There were many situations like this. After victories, young women would always ask Ken for his autograph or ask if he was single. Yes, many women found Ken to be very charming. Ryu on the other hand, never put much attention towards finding a girlfriend, or women for that matter. He was always busy training, seeking his one true challenge. He never wanted to have any fun. "As a friend, all I'm saying is that there's more to life than just the fight. It's time you settled down, maybe even raise a family, eventually," said Ken. "I suppose you're right, but for now I am content with my way of living," said Ryu. "Alright, Ryu. I just hope that when a woman loves you, you realize it before it's too late," The subject was dropped, and the 2 Shotokan fighters went inside.

"Ryu," Ken began. "There's someone I'd like you to meet."He escorted Ryu to the Masters Estate Dojo. A teenage boy, no older than 16, was practicing Shotokan techniques. He looked serious....determined to perfect each move. His yellow gi was tattered, much like Ryu's. He stopped practicing once he noticed Ken standing in the doorway, and bowed. Ken returned the bow. "Sean, this is my ol'pal, Ryu," said Ken. "We studied at the same dojo together." "I'm Ken's student. Nice to meet you, Mr. Ryu," said Sean. "Hello, Sean," said Ryu. "Nice to meet you, too. How long have you been training under Ken?" "Just a few weeks," replied Sean. "I've heard much about your victory over M.Bison, the one who led the underground crime syndicate, Shadowlaw, 6 years ago." "Yep," said Ken, and patted Ryu on the back. "That was him! Hey Ryu, why don't you and Sean spar a little? Give this rookie a taste of what it's like in a real battle!" "I suppose so," said Ryu. "What do you think, Sean?" "Most Definitely!" Sean replied. "I'll show you that I'm no rookie. You'll see! Just get ready!!!"