Chapter 4: As a Father (or #4 Father in the Japanese version) is the fourth and last issue of the limited comic series Street Fighter 6: Days of the Eclipse. It's illustrated by Chisato Mita.
Synopsis[]
With Mel captured by JP, Ken finds himself completely cornered. But as a martial artist and a father, he is more ready than prove his worth.
Story[]
Ken on the news.
A news anchor informs Nayshall about the multiple explosions that occurred in the old town, and that several residents were injured and multiple buildings were damaged. He also informs that the suspect, Ken Masters, was recorded by security cameras at the scene of the incident, and that local authorities, with assistance from the government, are conducting a manhunt.
Meanwhile, Mel, who's still tied up in a chair and blindfolded, starts moving and is able to fall out of the chair and notices Luke's pocket knife.
Two of Luke's men inform Luke that they found the terrorists' workshop where they modify the drones. He then informs his boss that they were able to find their base of operations, but Masters is still missing, since someone helped in his escape, though that person might be injured. Luke's boss explains that the two drones that exploded were stolen and that the other drones are still missing, and recommends grounding all the drones, including private ones, for the time being, as they're currently working with the local police to trace their locations, and finding all of then in a single day isn't easy. He also informs Luke that the tournament is in two hours and that he should let the police find Ken.
Under a bridge, Ken admits to Kalima, who's carrying a bag of apples, that she was right about him not thinking about her, the people, and the country. However, he asks why she helped him and wonders if this is part of the setup and if the video clip was her idea. Kalima says that it wasn't her, but Ken gets angry and calls her a liar, saying that everything was planned by Johan and her people. She explains that she's not like Johan and that the opposition had nothing to do with these recent events since she's a part of the opposition. Ken once again accuses Kalima and the opposition of the attack and getting his friend Jackson killed, but explains that they had nothing to do with the group in masks who attacked him and that she was also tricked by Johan. Kalima mentions that because of the video and the bombings, many of her comrades were arrested under false charges, that they are only seeking the independence of Nayshall, and that Johan is "a vampire who will suck their country dry".
At Mount Vashal, Johan is talking to an officer, telling him about the first day of the tournament, and that he arrived early because he was "too nervous" to sleep well.
While getting the apples, Kalima explains that while the projects to establish their nation and the infrastructure plans are legitimate, and that his NGO is well established, it was all baits and that his true interest is to broadcast the tournament worldwide, and that his top priority was to convince Ken to quickly fund the tournament. Kalima then gives the food to a homeless family. She adds that he's using the tournament as a means to launder money and plans to move funds within the online betting system and steal everything. And Ken realizes that Johan wants to make sure that Ken is behind the whole operation. Kalima warns Ken that Johan will use Mel to draw him out and that she wants Ken to understand how the people of Nayshall feel, saying that if he didn't try to save his son, she wouldn't have risked her own well-being to save Ken. She then tells Ken that only the citizens can solve the problems of their country, and asks the champion what will he do next. Ken corrects her, saying that he's a retired champion, that the Masters family never quit halfway, and that his son is waiting for him.
Mel is able to get Luke's knife, saying that the next time he goes camping, he'll be the man. Johan then enters the room and sees that Mel escaped, and he's disappointed since he saved a VIP seat just for him.
Ken vs Luke.
At the arena, Johan makes a speech to the audience that thousands of years ago stood the legendary kingdom of Nayshall, and now the legend will breathe anew, at Mount Vashal, where people have looked towards Vashal as a secret pillar, blessed by the gods. And that, in recent years, the recognition of Nayshall's global worthiness has grown, thanks to the country's great history and ancient traditions. Meanwhile, Ken, who's avoiding the officers, finds Mel's room, but he's no longer there. Mel is able to find Luke and tries to talk to him. Johan then declares the tournament within the ancient arena is now open, and that the first event will be an exhibition match, between a native fighter of Nayshall named Lima Bien, and a world-famous fighter named Borris Gagarin. Ken then spots Borris, who's with an officer and steals his clothes. Kalima notices that Ken is dressed as Borris, and he reveals it to the public. Ken confronts Johan and Luke tries to stop the former champion and tells his men to hold their fire, so that Mel doesn't lose his father. Luke advises Ken to stand down and Johan mocks him, saying that he's disappointed in Ken and that they'll take good care of his son, and this angers Ken. Ken then attacks Luke and injures his right eye. Luke says to Ken that for a national champion, he likes to play dirty, and accuses him of teaming up with terrorists. Ken replies saying he doesn't know anything, and Luke agrees and the only thing he knows is that he doesn't show mercy to monsters like Ken. Kalima tries to stop Johan and blames him for everything that happened, and for insulting the traditions and secret ceremonies of Nayshall. During the match, the audience is cheering for Luke to kill Ken for being a terrorist, and Mel rushes to get close to the two. Luke says that his father was in the army and was killed by terrorists like Ken, and that Mel trusted him. Ken then starts thinking about his son, and starts hearing his voice. Ken is able to get up, but opens up the gunshot wound. Kalima tries to kill Johan with a dagger, but he disarms and stabs her. She says to Johan that his plan won't succeed, since the tournament will be canceled because of the chaos, but Johan explains that he already set up the most important wagger: the fallen champion who became a terrorist versus a young peacekeeping agent. Johan congratulates Kalima now that Nayshall has become a nation of criminals, and it will continue to collect revenues from online betting, and that as long as Kalima stays in the spotlight, the country's existence is secured. He says that history, tradition, culture, and secret ceremonies are all for sale as content, until the world gets tired of them, and threatens Kalima that if she quits halfway, it will be the end of everything. King Shari roots for Luke to defeat Ken, and Luke tells Ken that if he surrenders he can see Mel again, but Ken denies saying that he needs to let him see his father fight until the end. He apologizes to Luke for the injury and gives him a free shot. This triggers Luke and hits him with an uppercut. The two continue to fight, and Ken defeats Luke, but Ken surrenders and is arrested. Mel is disheartened to see his dad being arrested and thinks that the world that he lost him to is too big for him.
Li-Fen explaining to Chun-Li about her findings
Sometime later, Li-Fen is talking to Chun-Li and explains that the more she investigates, the more shady Johan gets, saying that he moves from one corporation/NGO to another, never staying there long, and that he's involved with infrastructure projects with several countries. She also mentions that his name "Johan" must be a fake name and that he also calls himself "Jean-Philippe". Li-Fen explains that most of his projects seem legitimate, however, the moment he gets involved, things start going haywire, causing ethnic conflicts and civil wars. Chun-Li wonders if he's directly responsible and Li-Fen agrees that his hands are dirty. She reveals that she tried to dig deeper, but it's getting a bit risky, and that everything about the businessman on the dark web was ghosted and someone tried to reverse-hack Li-Fen. Chun-Li asks her if it's too difficult for her, but Li-Fen says she could try harder if there is something for her and asks for a new gaming mouse and to eat a big juicy steak. The two end up leaving the room and Chun-Li wonders if she can ever be normal and Li-Fen gets upset hearing this. After leaving, Li-Fen's monitor goes black and starts displaying several error messages, and one message says "Shadaloo".
Mel thinking about his dad.
At Ken's office, Mel stares at the window while an employee is moving boxes. Ken, who was released some time ago, is walking down the street, tired and depressed. The employee tells Mel that they need to lock the room and the two leave. Mel thinks to himself that wherever his dad is, he can see him.
A new adventure awaits Ken, as he raises his fist to confirm his unbroken fighting spirit.
Characters[]
- Ken Masters
- Mel Masters
- Luke Sullivan
- Kalima
- Albert Jackson (Mentioned)
- JP
- Shari
- Borris Gagarin
- Lima Bien
- Robert Sullivan (Mentioned)
- Chun-Li
- Li-Fen