Raiden stood atop his Sky Temple, pondering in thought. It had been five years after Lord Shinnok's defeat. Ever since he purified the Jinsei from Shinnok's influence, he had become corrupted, his once peaceful demeanor becoming much more aggressive and having zero tolerance for any who dared to threaten the realm he was sworn to protect. Despite this, a part of him still felt uncertain. His two students, Liu Kang and Kung Lao, who he loved like sons, were both dead, now revenants in the Netherrealm, Liu Kang its self-appointed Emperor. Kung Lao was killed by Shao Kahn, and Liu Kang was killed by accident by Raiden's own hand. As a result, not only was Raiden left without the two students he cared dearly for, he was left without two of the most powerful and determined protectors he had seen. He was about to go search Earthrealm for two warriors he could train, when a vision occurred to him. In it, he witnessed Liu Kang and Kung Lao, ready to fight. The other warriors were knocked out, among them were several other warriors such as Kitana, Jade, Nightwolf, Kabal, and Smoke, who had all been resurrected to their human form. Standing across from them, was a man dressed in black and yellow. He had a fireball in one hand, and in the other, a chain. At the end of the chain, a kunai was attached. Raiden knew only one man who would wield such weapons: Hanzo Hasashi, better known as Scorpion. Once a revenant himself, Scorpion was resurrected to his human form, however he was still able to use the powers he had when he transformed into his Scorpion persona, and he had conquered his own personal demons and harnessed his powers to the point where he could use them without it consuming him, through intense mental training. Next to him was a man dressed in black and blue, holding a sword of ice. This was Kuai Liang, better known as Sub- Zero. The grandmasters of the Lin Kuei and the Shirai Ryu, fighting side by side? Raiden knew that Sub- Zero had made peace with Scorpion after it was revealed that Quan Chi was actually responsible for murdering Scorpion's family and clan, and manipulating him into murdering the elder Sub Zero, Bi Han, who was framed, thus resulting in Scorpion killing Quan Chi. However, Raiden never anticipated they would end up being the ones to protect Earthrealm. The ultimate rivals, now the greatest allies. Spurred by his new vision, Raiden set out to find Scorpion and Sub- Zero.
Hanzo Hasashi, the man known as Scorpion. He was once a hellspawned wraith, returned to life by the sorcerer Quan Chi to do his bidding. At one point, he assumed the Lin Kuei known as Sub-Zero was responsible for the deaths of his family and his clan, the Shirai Ryu. However, after he murdered Sub-Zero, he was told that it was Quan Chi who was responsible. After this news, Scorpion finally killed Quan Chi. Now, he was once again human, having been resurrected by Raiden during a battle in Quan Chi's lair. However, he was still able to use his Scorpion powers when he thought of his greatest pain, the death of his family and clan. While at one point usage of it for too long ran the risk of consuming him, he conquered his demons and was now able to use those powers freely. He was even able to reform the Shirai Ryu clan. His relationship with Sub-Zero had gone from a blood feud to the point where the two of them trusted one another and would spar together. Scorpion was preparing to train with members of his clan, when a sudden burst of lightning appeared before him in his room. When it cleared, Raiden stepped out, looking quite different. Scorpion knew that Raiden had become corrupted due to absorbing the Shinnok tainted Jinsei, however he did not expect such a drastic change. "Raiden" he said. "Why are you here?" "Scorpion" Raiden replied. "I have an urgent matter that requires both you and Sub-Zero. Both of you meet me at my Sky Temple. It is very important". Raiden then disappeared, this time in a burst of red lightning. Scorpion stood there for a bit, surprised that Raiden needed both him and Sub-Zero. He grabbed his swords and his spear, then teleported in a burst of fire to Raiden's Sky Temple.
Kuai Liang. Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei clan. A Cryomancer, able to control ice. Better known as Sub-Zero, originally known as Tundra. Him and his brother, Bi-Han, were abducted as children by the Lin Kuei and trained in the ways of assassination. However, as Kuai Liang traveled to Outworld to find the one responsible for killing his brother, the Lin Kuei moved forward with the Cyber Initiative, turning all of their warriors into mindless cyborgs. Sub-Zero had been caught and cyberized after his defeat of Scorpion, the one responsible for his brother's murder, however he was able to get his humanity restored. After his death and resurrection, he rebuilt the Lin Kuei as a means of protection for Earthrealm. One of his first acts was making peace with his former enemies, Scorpion and the Shirai Ryu clan. After this act, their once bitter hatred of one another evolved from mutual respect, to allies, to the point the two clans and the two of them would train together. Both men were happy to finally put an end to all of the misguided hatred that had plagued them both for many years. Sub-Zero was brewing tea when a burst of lightning appeared. "Raiden" he said. " Sub-Zero" Raiden replied. " I apologize for the sudden intrusion. However, I need both you and Hanzo Hasashi for an urgent matter at my Sky Temple". "Urgent matter?" Sub-Zero replied. "I will be there as soon as possible then." "Thank you" Raiden replied. He then disappeared. Sub-Zero froze himself, then teleported away in a mist.
Raiden stood at the entrance to his Sky Temple. With him were the other warriors: Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade, their daughter Cassie, Kenshi and his son Takeda, Jax and his daughter Jacqui, Bo Rai Cho, Kung Jin, and Fujin. "So Raiden what'd ya bring us here for?" Johnny said. "There a new threat? If there is, then I can see why you would call the strongest guy around!" "The older you get, the more your arrogance increases!" Sonya replied. "Hey, you know I saved us from Shinnok years ago!" Johnny declared. "You two can bicker later. Raiden, what's the issue?" Jax asked. "I had a vision. We were at war with the NetherRealm once again, only this time it was Liu Kang and Kung Lao. However, there were two warriors I saw standing against them. Those two warriors are among us here right now". As everyone looked around and muttered amongst themselves, a tall man in black and yellow stepped out. Strapped across his back were two swords, and he had a black hood on his head and a yellow armored mask on his face. He then removed his mask and hood, revealing short black hair and a beard. Takeda's eyes lit up and he rushed to greet him. "Master Hasashi. It's been a while!" "You've grown a lot, Takeda. I am happy to see you and your father" Hanzo said with a smile. As he greeted the others, a man in black and blue appeared. He also had short black hair , with a scar across his right eye, and his face was also covered by a mask, the only visible feature was his piercing blue eyes. He shook hands with Hanzo and greeted the others. "Scorpion and Sub-Zero. Once enemies, now the greatest of allies. In my vision, it was them who stood against the NetherRealm" Raiden said. Everyone looked on, shocked. "Wait just a minute. You mean to tell me one minute they want to kill each other, the next they're friends?" Johnny said. "If you do not remember Johnny Cage, we put our differences aside a while ago. We know we were both duped by Quan Chi, and as a result we no longer had any issues with each other" Scorpion said. "We decided to use our powerful skills as a team for the benefit of Earthrealm" Sub-Zero added. "I have also come to the realization that these two were always far stronger than my former students. Just one of them alone would easily dominate both Liu Kang and Kung Lao" Raiden uttered. "However, they do not know they have this untapped power in them. Had Scorpion realized it when he was on the side of evil, he would have been an even more incredibly dangerous adversary. The same thing applies to Sub-Zero. " "So Raiden" Sub-Zero said. "These hidden powers... how do we go about unlocking them?" "I will train the two of you. Take you under my guidance as my new students. " Raiden answered."Are we able to unlock these powers purely through fighting, or are there other methods?" Hanzo asked. "That I have yet to determine. Here is what I will do: Scorpion and Sub-zero will have a sparring match. I want to see just how strong they are currently. That way, I can determine what methods I will use to help them grow even stronger" Raiden said. "Now then, whenever you two are ready". The two warriors walked to opposite ends of the fighting stage then entered their respective battle stances. " This reminds me of old times, Hanzo. Only difference is we are not trying to kill each other" Sub-Zero remarked. Scorpion chuckled. "I must say, it is rather refreshing" he replied. The two fighters stood tensed, neither man taking their eyes off the other. Then, Raiden uttered one crucial word: "Fight".
