seen from United States
seen from Germany
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Dominican Republic
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Germany
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seen from Peru
seen from United States
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seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from China
This is based on a tweet but also more or less accurate to my memory of Rashid and Nash’s interactions in the SFV story mode.
Rashid is such a good character to use for memes (even though Street Fighter takes place in the 90′s and most of these internet jokes didn’t exist yet shhhhh).
When you realize that Enero is Noel and Karin is Litchi :P
If you could re-write A Shadow Falls from Street Fighter V, how would you change it? It’d be great to see your twist on it!
(I’m replying to this on mobile, so I’m almost positive that the formatting will be a mess, and it won’t let me save as a draft. Sorry in advance! I’ll fix it as soon as I can get to a real computer.)
Thank you so much for this question! It’s a blast to think about.
I mention some big spoilers in this, so beware!
It’s hard for me to think of how I’d rewrite the whole thing, because I’m pretty much okay with most of it! Sure, it’s pretty cheesy at times, but I’d even dial the cheesiness up a few notches. I mean, they got Bison’s voice actor to say “this is delicious,” and I think they could have taken it even further with the SF Animated Series references if they really wanted to!
I guess the biggest thing to me is, ASF included so many characters, but not all of them got equal treatment in the storyline. Maybe it was a matter of a cast too big for the length of the plot, but I’d have really liked to see individual character arcs, or at least see how each person’s strengths contributed to the defeat of Shadaloo.
For instance, Birdie was the perpetual comic relief guy: fat man eats a lot and is kind of a rude goofy slob. But what if he had a moment to shine as a former Shadaloo agent? Yeah, some of this is covered in the individual Character Stories as fun little prologues, but ASF should show how it all comes together, I’d think.
Also, I’d really hype up the new characters in addition to the familiar returning cast. They did a fantastic job with F.A.N.G in this respect. He REALLY plays off like the main villain while Bison, the “true” big bad, just kinda floated there menacingly for the most part, and I loved it. However, not everyone got such memorable treatment. Looking at how the story played out, what was Necalli’s purpose in all of this? In the opening scene, you get the sense that he’s returning as a direct result of Nash’s soul leaving the afterlife (and maybe it also ties in with Shadaloo’s Black Moons bringing fear and chaos to the planet to fuel Bison’s Psycho Power, basically more tasty powerful fighters emerging for Necalli to consume), but as the story goes on, he doesn’t do a whole lot besides growl a lot and turn into mud. He’s just sort of there for the most part, when there could have been an opportunity to make him... maybe the fighting game equivalent of a slasher villain. Hungry, lurking in the shadows, on neither the hero nor villain’s side, but actively hunting whoever is the most powerful fighter in the given moment. Rightfully frightening as a result of it.
I also think some of the cast, major and minor characters, could have a little more screentime. Maybe elaborate more on the family bond between Cammy and Decapre. In fact, the concept of “family” could be a good unifying theme here. You got blood siblings Laura and Sean, you got the Dolls having that sisterly bond as they fight for their independence, the Shadaloo Kings being a sort of their own dysfunctional bad guy fam (heck, you could make an argument for Ed having a sort of “found family” with Balrog there, at least), and, a big one you might have expected by asking me this question:
What if ASF put more spotlight on Guile and Charlie’s relationship? SEE: Guile’s Character Story in which he tells Kolin that he’s looking for a friend who is like family to him. Presumably this happened while Nash was in some semi-conscious state during his resurrection. You don’t suppose he could have heard Guile say this, do you? Surely it would have affected his feelings toward him when they met up again... Ah, I’m just speculating. The GuileNash shipper in me wants to say I wish ASF gave us some scenes of them hugging and holding hands when they re-united (Guile grabbing Charlie’s hand to pull him into the helicopter is close enough. I’ll take that)! The point is, these characters have such a big history, and maybe there could have been more scenes of their friendship being shown, rather than Nash being this tragic, broody dude who has to take everything on his own. If his choice to ultimately go after Bison alone was his decision, I’d like to hear why that is. Not just, “Helen says I don’t have much time,” but why, even after Rashid told him about being there for his friend even though his friend foolishly gets into trouble all the time, did this seem like the best move? Why did Nash’s friends just let him go ahead with it? I feel like there was some off-screen discussion or something I missed there. Right before Nash’s final encounter with Bison, he looks back and Guile kinda gives him a lil’ nod (of understanding? approval?). Basically, I don’t want to believe that he’s doing all of this alone because Helen pressured him into it and manipulated his anger and cravings for vengence. I want some confirmation that Nash considered everything, including how much his friends loved and supported him, and still decided, by his own confident assessment, that what he needed to do was to get Bison alone and absorb his Psycho Power to save everyone, even if it meant dying again in the process.
While I’m at it, here’s the most important change of them all: A Shadow Falls, but when Nash does his heroic sacrifice, it isn’t for nothing.
As it is, it’s a little disappointing to see that after all Nash goes through, his efforts result in nothing. He explodes, but Bison is completely fine! Ryu comes out of nowhere to finish him off, and it just stinks of, “well, we gotta have the obligatory epic final showdown between the main hero and the main villain!”
I can understand the story trying to warn us that living a life for revenge is the wrong way to go about it, but if Nash was destined to fail, I’d at least like to add something that shows us that Ryu wouldn’t have been able to stop Bison if Nash hadn’t stolen so much of his energy in the moments before.
Furthermore, I think killing Nash in the same game that brought him back to life after so many years is kind of a waste. I’d put in a clue... something ambiguous, perhaps... that suggests that Charlie could still be alive in some form. Maybe as a spectral Psycho Power ghost or something like Bison tends to do.
Finally... as someone who hasn’t played Street Fighter 3, I understand THAT Gill is important, but I didn’t really comprehend WHY it was such a big deal that he and Kolin were the big post-credits reveal. I like a surprise as much as anyone, but it felt a little out of the blue! A few breadcrumbs of Gill flashbacks in Urien’s scenes could have been a good foreshadowing.
How would I re-write A Shadow Falls?
TL;DR summary:
Ham it up even more!
Give each character a time to shine / contribute to the plot in a significant way
Give it a unifying theme (I suggest “family”)
Give Nash some visible, meaningful character development / interaction, rather than making him a vessel for tragic sacrifice
For the love of god, don’t kill the man off AGAIN. He just got here!
Foreshadow Gill’s involvement just a tiny bit!
And a bonus thought that just ocurred to me as I was finishing the post: I’d give Azam SO MUCH more dialogue in ASF. He has a ton of personality in the character stories with Rashid, so it was kind of a shame that the cinematic story just had him saying “Master” in various levels of emotion.
dat meme acknowledgement XD
A Shadow Falls - Ch VIII
Reunion
Blurb: That night, the three Fighters reconvene to discuss the relationship between the Black Moons, the stolen control pieces, and the missing hackers incident. However, little do they know that some others are looking for the same control pieces…
Disclaimer: THE PLOTLINE OF THIS STORY DOES NOT BELONG TO ME, AND NEITHER DO THE CHARACTERS. THEY BELONG TO CAPCOM. HOWEVER, THE WRITING DOES BELONG TO ME. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
TW: Vivid imagery, mentions of death, violence, slight language
WC: 4,484
After nearly escaping Shadaloo, the three fighters reconvene at another devastated part of the city with some cars set ablaze. Chun-Li goes to rest against a pickup truck, exhausted.
“Thanks for the help,” Guile’s hands are on his hips. “You after Shadaloo?”
Cammy nodded solemnly. “Yes. I’ve followed them since the Black Moons appeared. Shadaloo is involved with the destruction of New York.”
She turns to Chun-Li, addressing her.
“Chun-Li, you completely lost your head in that fight.”
Chun-Li bent her head low. “I’m sorry. I’ll never act like that again.”
She looks back up. “What about…the Black Moons? How do we stop them from going off?”
“I’m not sure yet,” Cammy replied. “but it seems Shadaloo doesn’t have the ability to completely control all of them at this time.”
Guile walks up beside her. “What do you mean by that?”
“I’ve heard that the Black Moon’s control keys were stolen. I don’t know by whom. Perhaps someone betrayed Bison, or a spy infiltrated Shadaloo.”
“It might have a connection with the hackers incident.”
“Incident?”
“There’s a group of computer hackers who’ve gone missing,” Chun-Li explained. “Their ages, genders, nationalities all vary. Including some very young ones…”
“We’ve been investigating this from all angles, such as a criminal organization was behind it,” Guile added, turning to look at the Black Moon over the city. “Then the Moons appeared.”
“Do you mean the hackers were coerced to build the Black Moons?” Cammy inquired.
“Yes. Now we must stop the Moons from exploding in the other six cities—Eeh!”
Chun-Li tried to stand up, but a sharp pain shoots through her body, forcing her to collapse on her knees. Cammy rushes over to her as she holds her injured midsection.
“Take it easy. Oh yes, I need to ask something.”
She took out a parcel, handing it to Chun-Li. “This package…an Interpol agent was trying to deliver it to you before the Black Moons appeared. Shadaloo attacked him. Whoever sent it is unknown. Why the agent was attacked is also not clear. Though I can guess…”
Chun-Li unwrapped the parcel as Cammy explained. Once she fully unraveled the strings, Guile perked up at its contents.
“It’s the same…”
He takes out one of the control keys from his pocket with a crescent moon shape, as Chun-Li has another one with an eight-pointed star on it.
Suddenly, they hear footsteps. The three fighters look over as a man slowly walks into their view.
“It can’t be…!” Chun-Li breathed out.
It’s Nash, slowly making his way to them. Chun-Li stands up to get to him, but Guile stops her.
“Wait.”
And then, with terrible timing, Rashid, the Arab man from before, happily skips up towards the group.
“Hello, my friends! So sorry to interrupt you, but I—“
“Stay back,” Guile warns. “This might be a trick.”
“I’m being ignored?!”
Guile stands his guard as Nash pauses, adjusts his glasses, and enters his stance. Clearly perturbed, Guile is caught off-guard at facing his best friend, whom he thought dead for so long.
Despite having similar training, Guile's hesitance of the man before him causes him to hold back. However, Nash remains focused on his goal. With a strong resolve to defeat M. Bison, Nash shows his former protege no mercy. He easily overpowers Guile as the USAF major collapses on one knee. Even though he just got defeated, Guile refuses to believe that the man standing before him is his former superior and best friend.
“Who are you…You’re not…!”
Determined, he stands back up and fires a Sonic Boom, thrusting both of his arms forward. However, Nash is unfazed and deflects the attack, holding up his left hand and stopping the projectile in its tracks. The energy of Guile’s Sonic Boom transfers into Nash’s palm, creating a blue, spherical kinetic force, and absorbs it, catching Guile by surprise.
“What’s happening to my body…?” Nash gazed at the now-dispersed energy in his hand.
Meanwhile, Rashid is sitting on the bed of a nearby flatbed truck, watching the interaction between Nash and Guile.
“Fine, you can keep ignoring me if you want. It actually makes it easier to take care of this.”
He catches Chun-Li’s attention before he jumps to his feet.
“I am Rashid of the Turbulent Wind! I came here to take that piece. Just hand it to me quietly.”
Not willing to give up her piece, Chun-Li stands her guard. While reluctant that it has come to this, the man is intent on taking matters into his own hands.
“Please understand that the piece is important to me,” Rashid continues, spinning around and kicking up a small gust of wind around him. “I must have it no matter what. I hope you won’t hate me for this!”
Still injured from her last fight, Chun-Li didn't stand a chance against the young man. With his speed and control of the wind, a kick from Rashid sends Chun-Li to the ground. In the process, the star-shaped control piece is knocked out of her hands, and Rashid swiftly catches it, the piece now in his possession.
“Humble apologies.”
He then turns to see Nash, who is fishing the crescent-shaped piece from an unconscious Guile after their fight.
“Huh?! Hey, what are you—!”
Rashid starts for him, but he makes his escape without a word. He curses softly.
“Damn. We can only take this one back for now.”
Disappointed that he can only take one piece back, Rashid spins as fast as he can to create a giant tornado to conceal himself. As Cammy shields her eyes from the massive winds, the tornado lifts up the Arab man, allowing him to escape.
A Shadow Falls - Ch VII
The Four Kings
Blurb: General Byron Taylor of the United States Air Force assigns Guile and Chun-Li to go to New York and determine if the incidents are connected to Shadaloo. Meanwhile, Balrog, Vega, and F.A.N.G. bicker about the success and failures of Operation C.H.A.I.N.S.
Disclaimer: THE PLOTLINE OF THIS STORY DOES NOT BELONG TO ME, AND NEITHER DO THE CHARACTERS. THEY BELONG TO CAPCOM. HOWEVER, THE WRITING DOES BELONG TO ME. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
TW: Death, mentions of death, violence
WC: 7,218
Inside a United States Air Force base, two officers are behind their monitors to observe and assess the chaotic situation occurring in the country. They are analyzing the situation, supervised by the General, a rugged-looking man. The screen the officers are working on shows a map with spikes of activity in plenty of places, most of them close together.
“No estimate on recovering power!” one of the officers announces.
“The Black Moon went off over a wide area, damaging these seven parts of the city,” the other officer explained. “As a result, we’ve lost all communications in those areas.”
“This is a magnetic pulse caused by a high altitude explosion…But who would have such advanced technology to cover this wide of a range?” The General wondered aloud.
Just then, a man with a United States flag tattoo on each of his biceps walks into the room, joining the three officers.
“Maybe it’s related to the missing hackers incident. But we would need to verify.”
The General looks up. “Heh. You always show up with such perfect timing. It’s almost scary.”
He turns to his former comrade. “Your mission is to go to New York and determine if there is any connection to the missing hackers.”
“I’m coming with you, Guile. Alright?”
A female-sounding voice is heard through the other side, and Guile turns his head—the figure is obscured by the darkness.
“Generators coming on!” one of the officers exclaims.
As if on cue, the owner of the voice steps out of the shadows, and Guile recognizes her as a familiar face.
He smirks, chuckling. “Much appreciated, Chun-Li.”
She places a hand on her hip. “Hmph. It’s my pleasure.”
★彡
Meanwhile, in an abandoned part of New York City, the Black Moon hovers in the sky to display Shadaloo’s dominance. The sounds of ambulance sirens echo throughout the area, but there are no kind of first responders or EMTs in sight. A huge traffic accident resulted of the sudden shutdown of electricity.
On the streets, a Shadaloo soldier looks over the bodies of three unconscious cops. As the soldier remains on the premises to lookout for unwanted guests, F.A.N.G is dancing around happily inside a bank with a wall busted on the outside. He is accompanied by two other bodyguards of Bison’s; Balrog, an aggressive and hot-tempered American boxer, and Vega, a narcissistic and vain Spanish ninja. They are standing near an open vault.
“Niihahahahaha!!” F.A.N.G cackles gleefully. “The ‘AS’ demonstration was a complete success!”
Balrog turns to the Chinese man, tapping his foot impatiently. “So? What happened to the other places?” He glowers at F.A.N.G. “Why the hell haven’t the other Moons gone off?”
F.A.N.G pauses, looking dejected at Balrog’s comment. He sighs. “Did I ever tell you that you have the attention span of a five year-old? I already told you that the other control keys were stolen by that programmer! But since I took quick actions to recover one of the keys, I’ve destroyed all of this city’s electrical functions! Quite an accomplishment, I might say.”
He turns around to face the other two bodyguards. “Speaking of which, what were you two doing all this time I was working so hard?”
“Hm! Look who’s talking,” Vega scoffs, speaking in a smooth voice. “Did you forget that you were in charge of this plan? And it was you who let a programmer steal the control keys. I would say that’s a huge disgrace! It’s obvious who should be taking the blame for this. Besides…”
“Tread cautiously when you dare say such insolent things to me!” F.A.N.G chastised, offended at Vega’s words. “I successfully enacted Operation C.H.A.I.N.S.! And the fact that the programmer escaped so easily is all because you two are incompetent!”
F.A.N.G’s words strike a nerve with the two Shadaloo lieutenants. They prepare to attack him, when a portal swirling with purple energy appears. From it, M. Bison emerges, radiating Psycho Power from his body.
“My generals are all killing each other? This is delicious entertainment!”
F.A.N.G becomes ecstatic at the sight of the overlord of Shadaloo, giving him a quick reverence.
“Oh! It seems Lord Bison’s Psycho Power has become even more powerful!” the Chinese man exclaims giddily. “This proves the power of my PSA weapon. If Operation C.H.A.I.N.S. succeeds, Lord Bison will be all powerful and invincible!”
“No need to discuss the obvious,” Bison monotoned. “Now, tell me the current status of the other device.”
“Yes, Lord! Over here!”
Two Shadaloo soldiers step forward as F.A.N.G holds an arm out to them.
“These two soldiers…have been able to gain strength from your Psycho Power, Lord Bison!” F.A.N.G explains. “Until we get all the control keys back, we will spread more fear and despair so that we can add more strength to you, My Lord!”
“Just a couple of puppets,” Balrog scoffs, dismissively.
There is a long silence as F.A.N.G lets the boxer’s words sink in. He then quickly whips around to attack Balrog, who dodges in the nick of time.
“What the hell are you doing?!” he barks.
“Oh, please don’t be like that,” F.A.N.G chided. “Both of you, why don’t you test them out at least once? Certainly two powerful fighters like yourselves are not frightened by puppets like them?”
“How silly! Do you think you can fool me?” Vega retorted.
The Chinese man quickly spins about and then takes some steps back behind the enhanced Shadaloo soldiers, as Vega and Balrog enter fighting stances.
“You are already fools!” he cackles.
“Bastard!” Balrog cursed.
Both of his and Vega's fight occurs at the same time. Even with the added enhancements from the dictator's Psycho Power, Balrog's combination of ruthlessness and rage allows him to defeat his opponent effortlessly. And sensing their lack of will and strength, the soldier appears to be nothing more than an ugly sight for Vega. He finishes off the Shadaloo soldier with minimal resistance.
Both soldiers collapse on their knees and fall down, with Balrog stomping on his defeated opponent's back like a bug. Even after winning, the boxer is still enraged at the second-in-command.
“You piece of crap!” He points a glove at F.A.N.G. “Now it’s your turn!”
He and Vega gang up on F.A.N.G, but pause momentarily as they hear footsteps; it's Guile and Chun-Li, sent to New York by the General. Bison smirks at the sight of the two Fighters.
“Must be here,” Guile mutters, taking notice of the dead policeman on the ground. Their trail leads to the bank, where the Four Kings stand, watching them. Chun-Li looks up at them, and flinches.
“Bison…!”
Blinded by her thirst for revenge, she charges forward. Even though Guile attempts to stop her, she pushes his hand away, running towards the Four Kings.
“No, wait!”
“It had to be you guys,” she accused.
F.A.N.G steps forward to deal with the Interpol agent, but Bison, knowing it is him she wants, levitates back down to the ground before his lieutenant and releases a burst of Psycho Power, which makes Chun-Li and Guile cautious enough to take them on.
“You were foolish to come here, girl,” Bison smirked.
The Interpol agent and the leader of Shadaloo clash once again. While Chun-Li is a skilled fighter, her desire to avenge her father's death affects her. With his Psycho Power growing, his power is too overwhelming for Chun-Li and he successfully defeats her.
With this, Bison dominates the fight easily and defeats her, launching her away with a blast of Psycho Power.
“Chun-Li!”
Guile rushes to help her, but Vega jumps in between them.
“I will be your opponent,” the masked Spaniard asserts, extending his claw.
Guile tries to end the fight as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, Vega's elusiveness made it hard for Guile to land a hit. During the fight, Vega constantly mocks Guile for his lack of elegance in battle, making it difficult for his opponent to win.
Despite being evenly matched, Guile cannot get past Vega, allowing M. Bison to approach Chun-Li, who is reeling nearby.
“Now it is time to finish you!” He exclaims, charging Psycho Power in his hand.
He holds it right up to Chun-Li's face as she is trying to stand up. She simply looks on, terrified beyond her imagination, as this next move might spell her certain death.
“I think not!”
A woman with long blonde hair done in twin braids and a green leotard unexpectedly rushes into the scene, pushing Chun-Li out of the way just in the nick of time. The Interpol agent, in a haze, looks up to see…
“Cammy…!”
“Let’s go, Guile!”
The Delta Red agent picks Chun-Li up off of the floor and, together with Guile, they beat a hasty retreat.
“I’ll never let you leave!”
F.A.N.G attempts to stop them himself, but Bison holds his hand out to stop his new right-hand man from following them. He watches in satisfaction; he has dealt enough damage to them for today.
A Shadow Falls - Ch VI
Operation C.H.A.I.N.S.
Blurb: A dark sphere in space activates, emitting a massive shockwave burst that engulfs and destroys a satellite above New York; wiping out the city's power. At the Kanzuki Estate, Shibasaki reports to Karin the news. Flanked by Shibasaki and Ibuki, Karin prepares for battle.
Disclaimer: THE PLOTLINE OF THIS STORY DOES NOT BELONG TO ME, AND NEITHER DO THE CHARACTERS. THEY BELONG TO CAPCOM. HOWEVER, THE WRITING DOES BELONG TO ME. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
TW: Vivid imagery
WC: 1,830
Back at the Shadaloo base, F.A.N.G trots jauntily into the control room, absentmindedly flapping his arms up and down with each step he takes, towards one of the Black Moons. When he arrives at the scene, the bodyguard pulls out the chess piece that he had stolen earlier and inserts it into one of the slots of the machine after gazing at the piece for a short while, and the machine lights up, powering up the satellite.
“Psycho Power is increasing,” One of the technicians working on the satellite announced.
“120%…135…150…180…210…250…”
F.A.N.G. watches the machine powered up with a sly grin plastered on his face, letting out a chuckle.
In outer space, in the Earth’s orbit, one of the Black Moons is activated. It reconfigures itself before releasing a massive shockwave, which engulfs a nearby satellite.
The shockwave can even be seen from New York City. It triggers a massive electromagnetic pulse, which knocks out the power of the whole metropolis; blacking out all of New York City.
And back in space, the satellite caught in the shockwave has been destroyed as the Black Moon continues to reconfigure.
★彡
Back at the Kanzuki Mansion, the live airing of the wrestling match on the TV goes off the air, showing static.
“Huh? What…?” Ibuki murmurs, snapping out of her boredom. Birdie continues stuffing his face with food, not fazed on what has just occurred. Karin gazes at the screen.
“Shibasaki.”
“Yes,” Her steward promptly shows up.
“According to a report from our data processing department, a strong, high-altitude electromagnetic pulse has apparently went off above New York.”
Karin walks out into the front porch, looking up at the night sky. “I’d venture to guess that is the cause.”
Next to the full moon, another one of Shadaloo’s Black Moons floats in the night sky.
“It seems as though one of the seven has been detonated,” Shibasaki informed her. “Unfortunately, Red Spider-Lily was affected and has shut down.”
Karin walks back inside, followed by her steward, and heads down a hallway. Ibuki stands up and runs to follow after them, leaving Birdie alone at the table to pig out.
“I want a report tomorrow morning,” Karin punches her palm. “Whoever did this better prepare.”
Operation C.H.A.I.N.S. has commenced.
A Shadow Falls - Ch V
The Black Moon
Blurb: At the Kanzuki Estate, Birdie and Ibuki lounge while Karin Kanzuki informs some journalists that her family's satellite is monitoring the "Black Moon" orbiting Tokyo.
Disclaimer: THE PLOTLINE OF THIS STORY DOES NOT BELONG TO ME, AND NEITHER DO THE CHARACTERS. THEY BELONG TO CAPCOM. HOWEVER, THE WRITING DOES BELONG TO ME. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
TW: Violence
WC: 2,829
Meanwhile, in a wrestling arena in America, the crowd watches with anticipation as the match they are watching is about to end. One of the competitors is a young, potent wrestler named Alex.
His opponent is about to deliver an overhead chop, but Alex stuns him with a body blow. With his opponent reeling, Alex knocks him down with his signature chops, declaring him the winner. The young wrestler raises his fist in victory as the crowd cheers.
At the Kazuki Estate in Japan, the wrestling match is being played on a big TV. Its hostess, Karin Kanzuki, is entertaining her guests with business talk.
“Four hours ago,” she begins, “the object nicknamed ‘The Black Moon’ was spotted above Tokyo. It hasn’t taken any action…”
She pauses to swish her long and oversized Victorian-Europe style ringlets away from her face.
“But of course, our family’s satellite, Red Spider-Lily, is constantly monitoring it…”
Meanwhile, Ibuki and Birdie, two other Street Fighters, are lounging at a nearby table. As Birdie continues to wolf down a large plate full of chicken legs, Ibuki eats and watches him eat with boredom as she stares at the screen playing the wrestling match. She diverts her gaze back to Birdie and lets out an exasperated sigh as she turns her gaze back to the screen.
Back at the ring in America, Alex is perched up against the ring’s ropes, holding a trophy in his hand from his previous win. The announcer, a man in a sequined yellow suit wearing a top hat and holding a megaphone, gets the crowd fired up.
“Now we have an Exhibitioooooooon Match!!”
He turns to the opposite side of the ring, where a large hulking man wearing a single-sleeved and legged red unitard jumps into the ring as the crowd cheers. He has a brown beard and mohawk and a big patch of chest hair. He flexes to the crowd, showing off his big and burly muscles.
“A big name opponent has shown up! Let’s welcome the famous “Red Cyclone”, Zangief! And with him, an up-and-coming star of professional wrestling, Rainbow Mika!”
A blonde-haired girl with her hair in pigtails and wearing a similar sky-blue unitard with ruffled edges and a heart-shaped hole between her breasts and navel somersaults in from the turnbuckle. She and Zangief strike an introduction pose together as the crowd cheers wildly once again.
“It’ll be a thrilling handicap match—“
Just then, a raven-haired girl with tanned skin and a scantily clad outfit suddenly jumps into the ring.
“Gimme that!”
She snatches the megaphone from the announcer’s hand, and addresses the crowd.
“Hey, that doesn’t sound thrilling at all!” She exclaims. “Let’s make this a tag team match for real!”
The crowd goes wild, and Zangief and Mika enjoy the idea. Alex, on the other hand, appears to be a little bothered. As the girl and the wrestlers get the crowd pumped up, he remains in his position, unfazed.
A/N: The raven-haired girl who took the megaphone from the announcer was actually Laura! She’ll have a proper introduction in Chapter XVI (16) ;)
