"A real fight? Alright, showtime! Whose ass am I kicking today?" an eager Mr. Cage asked Raiden. "No, this is but a sparring match. As a new recruit to the White Lotus, I would like you to spar against three prepared students of the Wu-Shi Academy." Raiden stepped to one side, allowing entry of the circular training room to three monks, each in a standard orange monk's outfit. "You will face these warriors one-on-one. May the first fight begin." Raiden announced, prompting one of the fighters to step towards Johnny Cage.

"Alright, grumpy, let's get this party started!" The monk looked very unimpressed. "Your insults are futile. They will only erase all hopes of mercy from me." He took a fighting stance unfamiliar to Johnny, but then, Johnny never was one for stances. He just kinda improvised as he went along. "Yo momma so hairy, Chewbacca got jealous!" Johnny was seeing how far he could push this guy. "I do not know who this 'chewy backer' is, but I do know words are seldom useful in the art of combat. Prepare!" Raiden intervened. "Johnny Cage, I am here to witness a fight, not a battle of words. Please fight to your fullest potential." Cage chuckled. "Alright, alright, get ready for an ass-whooping, douchebag!" He said, as the wushu warrior approached. As confident as Johnny was, he knew that this guy was trained in the art of fighting. But whatever, he had a few fights in the past, and besides having the shit kicked out of him, he did ok. Johnny began the fight with a single kick to the side, easily grabbed by the monk, who countered with a powerful palm strike to Cage's stomach, sending him a fair distance away, sliding across the ground.

Johnny got back up, just as ready as when he started. "Lucky strike... C'mon, buddy, I'll let you hit me first. It's not often people get to hit a celebrity so be grateful!" He said, as the monk walked casually towards Johnny, who was taking the closest thing to a defensive stance he knew. Johnny planned to counter as easily as he was countered, but he underestimated the opponent. The fighter lifted his right leg, as though to kick towards his face, fooling Johnny. Instead, he attacked low, sweeping Johnny's leg to knock him off balance and followed up with a powerful punch to Cage's 'flawless' face, with enough impact to shatter his sunglasses and leave him on the floor once again. It took a while for it to sink in, but eventually Johnny realised that not only could that punch have ruined his perfect face, but it also broke his $500 sunglasses. Enraged, Johnny got up slowly, trying to keep his cool. Raiden noticed a faint green glow about him, which peaked his curiosity. Perhaps this bumbling fool had much more potential than he showed.

"Y'know what those were...?" Johnny mumbled, giving an intense look towards the confident monk. "Those... Those were $500 sunglasses, asshole!" He shouted, charging towards his opponent. The green energy became more and more intense, Raiden noticed. "He has next to no control over that energy... He has a long journey ahead." Johnny delivered an almighty gut punch to the monk, releasing all of the green energy he had pent up into that punch, with such speed that it negated the wushu warrior's attempt to block and blasted him backwards into the nearest stone wall, knocking him unconscious. "You owe me a pair of sunglasses... I'm not even kidding..." Johnny stated to the already knocked out former opponent. That attack took a lot out of him however, causing him to fall to the ground, exhausted.

"As a fighter, he is lacking. When it comes to strategy, however... he is also lacking." Raiden thought to himself. He turned towards the other two wushu monks who would have fought, had Johnny been able to fight longer. "My apologies for bringing you here without purpose. You are dismissed. Return to your studies." The monks bowed and left the room as Raiden walked towards the fallen Johnny Cage. "I believe I have much to teach you, Johnny Cage. One day, you too may be able to participate in the Mortal Kombat tournament."

Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it so far, Next chapter will have less fighting and more Johnny Cage being Johnny Cage. Don't forget to keep an eye on this fic if you like it!