Saturday, November 21, 1992, 8:00 AM

A brand new day dawned on the house of the N Team.

Kevin Keene, a.k.a. Captain N, walked out of his room wearing nothing but boxers with little hearts on them. He wiped his eyes and yawned. Getting up every morning just to make sure Videoland was safe wasn't his cup of tea.

Speaking of tea, he thought. He walked into the kitchen and started to brew a nice warm cup of tea. "Mmm...sugary goodness..." he mumbled to himself.

Mega Man walked into the kitchen. He wiped his eyes out and looked at Kevin's boxers. He instantly starting laughing out loud. "Ha, ha, ha! Oh, Captain N! Those boxers are mega geeky!"

Kevin was alarmed. "Shh! Shh! Mega Man! You'll wake everybody up!"

But Mega Man continued laughing. "Everybody! Come on in here! Look at Captain N's mega dumb underwear!"

Kid Icarus was the first. He flew into the kitchen, but after taking one look at Kevin's boxers, he fell down laughing. "Ha, ha, ha! Kevinicus! What are you doing wearing those?!"

Simon was next.

This is gonna be death, Kevin thought.

But, surprisingly, Simon was wearing the exact same boxers! "What's going on? Did I hear something? Ah, Captain N! Excellent taste in boxers, I must say! Buy them at Mears?"

"I did, actually." Kevin said, rubbing his head and grinning.

Rick and Stacey came out next. Once they entered the kitchen, they fell down laughing at both Kevin and Simon.

Lana walked out dressed in a nightgown. She took one look at Kevin and started giggling uncontrollably. "Oh, Kevin...hee, hee...where did you get...those? Hee, hee..."

"Uh, well, I - " Kevin started, blushing.

Simon suddenly came to Kevin's aid. "Hey, don't laugh! I think his boxers are neato! Anyone who appreciates little hearts on boxers is a friend of mine!"

"You're right." Mega Man said, calming down. "I'm sorry I laughed at you, Captain N. It's just that heart-covered boxers aren't something you see every morning."

After everyone had gotten their good chuckle, Kevin walked into his room with the cup of tea. He sat down on his bed, put the cup down on his little table next to the bed, and read an issue of "Uncanny X-Men" he had bought on Earth.

"Bad old Magneto..." Kevin mumbled, entranced by the amazing John Romita Jr. artwork.

Suddenly, he heard some laughing from outside. Within a second, a brick was hurled through Kevin's window!

More laughing followed as Kevin got up from his bed. He threw the comic down and quickly threw on a t-shirt and shorts. He looked out the window to see a gang of two or three thugs throwing bricks at windows.

This infuriated Kevin. But was it his place to take on common street criminals? He looked down at the X-Men comic, then at his Power Pad and Zapper. He decided it: Time for Captain N.

Outside, the thugs laughed after throwing bricks at most of the windows.

"Ha, ha! That was too easy! There's no one around at all!" one of them said.

"Uh, Mugsy?" the second asked.

"Yeah, way too easy!" the third added.

"Mugsy?"

"What is it, Joey?" Mugsy asked.

"We got company, Mugsy!"

"You're right - my company!" Kevin said from the doorway of the house. "You have no right to throw bricks around wherever you feel like it!"

"Who says?" Bobo, the third one, asked.

"I do - Captain N!" Kevin sprung into action, shooting his Zapper at the thugs.

"Scatter!" Mugsy shouted, and instantly, the thugs ran away, around to the back of the house.

Kevin wanted to follow them, but, from around the corner, he could hear the sound of the thugs getting beaten up real good. Kevin figured the rest of the N Team had joined him outside.

Kevin turned the corner and said "Hey, thanks, Lana, Mega Man, - huh?"

Kevin didn't see Lana. Or Mega Man. Or anyone else on the N Team, for that matter. Who he saw was a man with a red headband and a white outfit. It reminded him of something a karate guy would wear.

"Thought you could use a hand." the man said. "Just remember: finish what you started, but never forget that there will be someone to help." With that, the man back-flipped and ran off.

"Wait! Who are you?!" Kevin called out. He stopped, for he saw a small card on the ground where the thugs had been knocked senseless. He picked it up.

The card read:

FREE KARATE LESSONS

KYOTO DOJO,

SHADOLOO

INSTRUCTOR: Ryu Hoshi

This interested Kevin. He took the card and thugs inside the house.

Soon enough, the rest of the N Team arrived.

"Kevin! We heard the noise! What's going... on?" Rick asked. "Boy, Kev, when you get mad, you get real mad!"

Kevin, suddenly pulling his attention away from the card, asked "What, this? Oh, I didn't do it."

"Then who didicus?" Kid Icarus asked.

"I think it might have been this guy." Kevin said, pointing to the name on the card.

"Ryu Hoshi. I've heard of him!" Rick said. "He's from the game 'Street Fighter II' back on Earth. Did he have a red headband and a white outfit?"

"That's him." Kevin confirmed.

"Coolness! I say we take him up on that offer! I'd love to learn moves like the Hadoken and Shoryuken!"

"What are those?" Mega Man asked.

"Y'see, Ryu's got these moves. Like the Hadoken. That's a blue fireball." Rick answered. "The Shoryuken, or Dragon Punch, is the flying uppercut. And the Tatsu-Maki-Senpu-Kyaku, or Hurricane Kick, is a moving roundhouse kick in midair."

"Well, what are we waiting for? More thugs? Let's totally go!" Stacey suggested.

"First," Kevin said, "we need to take these guys in."

Kevin picked up Mugsy, Simon picked up Bobo, and Rick picked up Joey.

After they had been turned in to the authorities, the N Team (minus Romeo and Julius, who were in Kongoland) went to the fighting-controlled land of Shadoloo.

The N Team arrived at the Kyoto Dojo.

They walked in through the paper-like doors and shut them.

There was a desk at the side of the wall. At it sat a girl who was reading a book called "Killing On A First Date".

She looked up, realizing she had customers. "Welcome to the Kyoto Dojo. How may I help you?"

Kevin decided to speak first. "Well, back in Megaland, a guy - we think it was the instructor here - beat up some thugs for us, and he left his card. So we were wondering if we could take him up on these lessons."

The girl smiled and stood up. "Follow me."

She led the N Team through the many twists and turns of the dojo, until, finally, they were out on a balcony. It was still early morning, so the sky was a light blue.

The girl left the N Team out on the balcony. "The instructor will be here soon."

"So,...what now?" Kevin asked.

"I guess we wait for the instructor." Lana answered.

Simon looked around. He looked up inside a small crevice within the wooden framework of the balcony. Inside, he could see three pairs of eyes.

Suddenly, the eyes revealed themselves to belong to bats. They flew out past Simon and up into another crevice.

Simon was scared stiff. "Bats!!! Bats!!! Don't let them in my hair!!! Augh!!!"

"You just frightened them, that's all." a man said, walking onto the balcony. "They won't hurt you. Senchi, Kino, and Maki are harmless."

Kevin laughed at Simon, then looked at the man. "Are you Ryu?"

"Yes, I am." the man said. "And you are?"

"Kevin Keene. You helped me beat up those thugs in Megaland."

"Ah, right." Ryu said, smiling. "Glad to see you again. Sorry I had to cut and run like that, but my next lesson was in a few minutes."

"'sokay." Kevin answered, shaking Ryu's hand.

"Now, who are all of you?" Ryu asked.

"I'm Princess Lana Deschain." Lana said.

"Rick Walker. Man, I just want you to know that I love your games!" Rick, ever the fanboy, said.

"Stacey Anderson. Totally nice to meet you." Stacey cooed.

"I'm Mega Man." Mega Man said. "It's mega nice to meet you."

"I'm Kid Icarus!" Kid said. "Glad to make your acquaintence-icus."

"And that over there," Kevin said, pointing at Simon, "is Simon Belmont."

"Charmed." Simon said.

"Well, it's nice to meet you all." Ryu said. "So,...are you ready for your first lesson?"

The N Teamsters were dressed up in the same outfits that Ryu was.

Ryu went around to each N Teamster and taught them the basics.

He walked over to Kevin, who was practicing kicks.

"Kick a little higher, Kev." Ryu suggested. "It'll give you more range when you're fighting your foe."

Everything was going well. Ryu walked over to Stacey, who was throwing punches at a punching bag. She was surprisingly strong. Ryu was astounded.

"I've never seen anyone so good before." Ryu commented. "You certainly are strong, Stacey."

"Thanky panky, Mr. Hoshi!" Stacey said, still punching.

"Please,...just call me Ryu."

"Okely-doke."

"Stacey, could I see you for a moment privately?"

"Why?"

"Oh, just for a snack and a drink. I just want to...talk."

"Oh." Stacey shrugged. "Okay."

Ryu and Stacey walked into a little lounging room.

Ryu walked over to the fridge. "Like Pepsi?" he asked.

"Of course!" Stacey answered with a smile.

Ryu grabbed two Pepsis and threw one to Stacey, who just barely caught it.

"Nice catch, Stacey." Ryu said. He walked over and sat to Stacey's right on the couch. "Well, there's another reason that I wanted you here, Stacey."

"And that is?" Stacey asked dreamily.

"Well,...I've never said this to a girl before, but...you interest me, Stacey. And I mean that in a, well,...really nice way."

"Oh,...really?" Stacey was getting hesitant.

Ryu could tell, so he kept it to a minimum. "It's just that...you're one of the prettiest and best fighters I've ever seen."

"What are you trying to say, Ryu?"

"I...think you're really great, Stacey."

The two approached closer. Ryu tried to control himself, as did Stacey. But they looked back at each other, and just as their lips were about to meet, the door opened.

In walked Ken Masters, Ryu's closest friend - and enemy. "Hey, Ryu! Just wanted to stop by to see if ya had any snacks I could take with me to a fight. Oh, what's going on here?"

Ryu and Stacey pulled themselves apart.

"Uh, nothing,...Ken. Say you need some snacks?"

"Yeah,...I did." Ken said suspiciously. "Say, what is going on?" The realization that Ryu was in love suddenly hit Ken like a smack in the face. "Oh! I see! Nice work there, Ryu-ster!"

"Uh, say, Ken. Isn't that freeloading?" Ryu asked Ken, trying to change the subject. "I thought you said you wouldn't do that anymore."

"Yeah, but this is for a fight." Ken said. "Come on, Ryu! I'm hungry!!!" Ken hopped up and down and whined over and over again.

"Come on, Ryu." Stacey said. "Just give him a couple of snacks."

"Oh, all right." Ryu said, walking over to the fridge.

"So, Ryu," Ken said, "who's this fine femme fatale?"

"Stacey Anderson, meet Ken Masters. Ken Masters, meet Stacey Anderson." Ryu answered.

"Hi-ee." Stacey said, shaking Ken's hand.

"Whoa, she's one piece of work, Ryu! You got yer work cut out for ya!" Ken said.

Kevin walked in from outside. "Stacey, why are you in - uh, Ryu, who's this?"

Ken looked at Kevin and started chuckling. "Oh, man, lemme give ya some advice: Don't wear anything Ryu wears. He's got the geekiest getup!"

Ryu sighed. "Kevin Keene, this is Ken Masters, old time friend. Ken Masters, this is Kevin Keene, Captain N."

Ken became wide-eyed. "This is Captain N!? Whoa! I thought you were at least a little older!"

"Yeah, well." Kevin said.

"Dang." Ken continued. "Well, anyway, thanks for the food, Ryu. Er, good luck. Heh, heh, heh. Stacey, it was a pleasure meeting you. Kevin, lemme give ya some more advice: Don't quit yer day job! Ha! See ya!" Ken walked out of the room.

"Well, now that that ugliness is behind us." Ryu said.

"So, Stacey, like I was saying. Why are you in here?" Kevin continued.

"Well, I, uh,...was just getting a drink. I was getting thirsty, and Ryu took me in to get one." Stacey said, trying to sound inconspicuous.

"Right. Want anything, Kev?" Ryu asked, playing along.

"No, thanks. I thought I'd hang out in here for a while." Kevin answered.

"Great." Ryu mumbled.

At that moment, the girl, Ryu's secretary, walked in. "Ryu, we just got this in the mail."

"Thanks, Satashi." Ryu said, taking the letter. He opened it and started reading it: "Blah, blah, blah, thank you, Mr. Hoshi for blah, blah, blah...it goes on to say yadda-yadda...a grand fight held at the Inner Shadoloo Palace - huh? 'You have been cordially invited by M. Bison and his close companions, Balrog, Vega, and...'" Ryu froze in place, staring at the five letters before him.

"Ryu? What is it?" Kevin asked.

Ryu suddenly crumpled the letter up in his fist. "If he wants a fight, the fool will get a fight."

"Who?" Stacey asked.

"My mortal enemy,...Sagat."

A few minutes later, all the N Teamsters were gathered with Ryu in the lounge.

"I guess you'll want to know the story of Sagat and me." Ryu said to the others.

They all nodded.

Ryu narrated the following, and the others could imagine it: "It took place a long time ago, when I was just starting out. The whole thing actually started in what was the very first 'Street Fighter' tournament, as it was called. Ken and I decided to enter, since we were ambitious young lads. We took on the competition, like a buffed bruiser called Birdy, an old timer karate master named Gen, and even one of Sagat's disciples, Adon. But the last foe was Sagat himself, a one-eyed Muay Thai master. While Ken was off battling Adon, I took on Sagat. It was an intense battle, with blows traded every few seconds. By the time the match was almost over, both of us were badly weakened. So I gathered up my last ounce of strength and pulled off my Shoryuken, the Dragon punch. It was such a strong and fast punch, it literally tore Sagat's chest open. He was left with a huge scar across his chest, and he vowed revenge against me."

"That's intense." Kevin said. "So, are you entering?"

"Of course." Ryu said. "This is a matter of honor."

"So where to now?" Mega Man asked.

"On to Shadoloo Palace!" Ryu declared.

Ryu and the N Teamsters walked in through the giant metal doors.

"This is one massive place!" Rick commented.

"It's almost as big as the Palace of Power!" added Lana, but she instantly regretted it, for it brought back painful memories.

"Look up there-icus!" Kid Icarus said, pointing to a screen above them.

Everyone looked up at the screen. It turned on to reveal a face staring back at them. The man on it wore a red hat with a skull-with-wings insignia on it. He wore a blue cape and red jacket.

"Welcome to Shadoloo Palace." the man said. "I am M. Bison, grand dictator of Shadoloo and all of its population. I have invited you here because one of my affiliates - Balrog, Vega, or Sagat - has recommended you as a magnificent fighter. If you have any people with you, I should like you to tell them to sit and watch instead of fight, for this is your battle, not theirs."

Ryu turned to the N Team. "Guess you guys'll have to sit this one out."

"One last thing." Bison continued. "When fighting, be sure to use any special tricks you might have with you, like special moves. After you have successfully beaten your first seven foes, you will fight Balrog, Vega, Sagat, and, finally, me. Good luck, fighter!"

The screen turned black. A door opened on the sidelines with a sign above that read "Visitors Only".

"Should you go in there?" Ryu asked.

"No way!" Kevin said. "We thought this through, and Lana, Mike, Mega Man, and I are going with you, Ryu, whether you like it or not. It'll be a team battle!"

Ryu's mouth dropped, but he then smiled. "That's cool. Just don't get killed, okay?"

Stacey, Rick, Simon, and Kid Icarus went in through the visitors' doorway. Kevin, Lana, Mike, and Mega Man went to find another arena.

Ryu walked into the arena and looked around.

"WELCOME TO THE GRAND FIGHT! THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING! THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHER ARENAS AROUND US, WITH OTHER FIGHTS ENSUING. DEFENDING IN THIS BATTLE WILL BE KARATE CHAMPION AND WINNER OF THE FIRST STREET FIGHTER TOURNAMENT, RYU HOSHI!"

Ryu tightened his headband and put his right fist into the air.

"THE CONTENDER WILL BE FORMER STREET FIGHTER TOURNAMENT CONTENDER, KEN MASTERS!"

Ryu froze. His jaw dropped when he saw Ken walk out of another door, waving at the cheering crowd. Ken blew kisses at people, and some people even threw their clothes at him.

"Well, you know what they say, Ryu." Ken said while waving. "'You can't always get what you want.' I, on the other hand, get all the things I need - starting with your defeat!"

TO BE CONTINUED...