Chapter 1: The Tournament Begins

AN: A big part of why I decided to try writing this story was for me to try and improve on writing action scenes. I hope you guys like it!

Izuku Midoriya sighed. What a day. He'd taken down Shigaraki and destroyed the League of Villains, only to get hit with a last ditch attack and end up in a different world altogether. To make matters worse, he had apparently landed smack dab in a tournament where the stakes were the entirety of Earth.

Was it too much to ask for a fucking break?

At least Liu Kang was a decent enough guy. He'd taken to explaining everything to Izuku, from the history of the Mortal Kombat Tournament (Izuku was never gonna get used to the K), to his training and his motivation on joining the deadly tournament. Izuku supposed it could've been worse. He could've ended up with someone like Bakugou.

Liu Kang took him to some officials first. "If you wish to fight, you'll have to register into the tournament. The first fight is happening tonight. That is, if you want to fight. I'm not saying you ha-"

Izuku shook his head. "It's fine, Liu Kang. I decided to join in on this the moment I heard you talking about how this tournament was deciding on the fate of Earth. This may not be my home, but I'll be damned if I stand aside and let that bastard destroy an entire world." At that moment, Izuku was called upon by the official.

"Name?"

"Izuku Midoriya."

"Age?"

"25."

"Occupation?"

"Vigilante."

"Allegiance?"

"Earth."

The official nodded, before turning to Izuku. "Welcome to the 10th Mortal Kombat Tournament of Earthrealm, Izuku Midoriya. You are now a Kombatant for Earthrealm. Please follow all rules accordingly. One, the defending realm's fighters cannot be attacked by the opposing realm's fighters until the tournament begins. Two, Mortal Kombat, once declared, cannot be refused by either party. Three, special powers can be used in the tournament, and four, any violation of the above rules is considered an act of treason against the realms and the Elder Gods themselves, and will be dealt with swiftly and accordingly."

Izuku nodded. Nothing complicated about that. It was basically saying that there was no fighting until tonight, you can't refuse a request, special powers could be used, and any violation of the rules was bad.

Izuku felt the weight of an old friend in his back pocket. Good ol' Combat Analysis For Future Encounters, Vol 5. Every victory, defeat, or flat out stalemate he'd suffered throughout his vigilantism, he'd limped back to a safehouse and documented everything he'd observed from the fight itself and the two body cams he placed in his jacket and turtleneck. Tonight's tournament could prove in handy for any future encounters.

A Few Hours Later

Liu Kang and Izuku Midoriya stood in front of the small ring.

"Nervous?" Izuku asked, holding his notebook with two pens clipped to the front.

Liu Kang nodded. "A little bit. I've sparred before, but I've never fought in something like this."

Izuku clasped Liu Kang's shoulder in reassurance. "You'll be fine. Don't worry." His attention went back towards the stage. "The tournament looks like it's starting."

A small melody of drums started playing, signifying that the time for Kombat was approaching. Three scantily clad women and two men started to walk towards the center of the stage above the ring. One woman was adorned in a blue, the other in green, and the last was adorned in pink. One man was old and wrinkled, adorned in crimson robes. The other was wearing a basic white outfit with two red skulls decorating his chest, complete inhuman features maring his face and spikes adorning his arms. The old man waved his arm downwards, and the monks sat down in front of the ring.

"Kombatants." the old man shouted, demanding attention from those attending the tournament. "I am Shang Tsung! In the coming days, each of you will fight. Some are here of their own volition. Others were brought here by chance. You participate in the most important Mortal Kombat in history! The tournament, the tenth after nine Outworld victories, will determine Earthrealm's fate. If you defeat all your opponents, you will face one final challenge… me."

Suddenly, Izuku could hear a cocky voice whispering aloud "That old geezer's the final challenge? They might as well give me the belt right now. They do have belts, right?"

Izuku had to resist the urge to facepalm. He turned to Liu Kang. "Please tell me he's a fighter for Outworld."

Liu Kang shook his head.

Shang Tsung suddenly appeared next to the clown in the suit, coughing into his fist.

"What? How did you-"

"Appearances can be deceiving." Shang Tsung replied, before floating back up to the stage.

"Our first combatant will be Mr. Cage!"

Mr. Cage scoffed, before heading into the ring. "That's right! That's right! Who's it gonna be?" he shouted, arrogance filling every syllable.

I can't believe I'm wishing Bakugou was here instead of this clown.

"Reptile." Shang Tsung exclaimed. A green skinned ninja suddenly appeared on the roof of the stage, before jumping down in a giant leap.

"Nice stunt! Who's your agent?"

"Begin!"

"All right! It's showtime!"

That poor bastard was gonna die. Izuku started pulling out his switchblade before Liu Kang grabbed his arm.

"No, Izuku. You can't interfere, it's in the rules." Liu Kang turned to the ring. "Besides, I have the feeling Mr. Cage might have a surprise or two up his sleeve."

Reptile opened up with a burst of spitting acid. Cage, surprisingly, dodged to the side, laughing.

Izuku put the switchblade away and opened up his notebook. This might get interesting.

Cage dodged again from a swipe of Reptile's claws. As Reptile was preparing to swing again, Cage struck, going with a high knee to Reptile's chin and then immediately following up with hook kick and a roundhouse kick.

Izuku's eyes widened. Perhaps he had severely underestimated Cage's skills.

Reptile shook his head, trying to rid himself of his disorientation. He glared at Cage, before turning invisible.

Cage turned for a few moments, wondering where the creature went, before he heard bubbling and sent a back kick towards the noise. His foot connected with Reptile's chest, forcing the creature to prematurely release the poison he'd been building up to spit out as he fell down.

"Nice effects, dude!" Cage shouted to his opponent. Reptile roared, and tried to leg sweep his opponent. Cage jumped up, avoiding the attack, before countering with a punch to Reptile's head while he was still in the air. Landing quickly, Cage capitalized on his opponent's weakened state and performed a jumping crescent kick towards Reptile's head. Unfortunately, Reptile had recovered just in time to block Cage's attack. Reptile took advantage and leg sweeped Cage again, this time succeeding in the endeavor due to Cage's poor balance. Cage recovered quickly, back flipping from the ground and landing a solid kick to Reptile's jaw yet again. As Reptile was airborne, Cage performed a flying elbow strike to hit Reptile in the jaw again. Reptile shakily got up from the ground. It was clear that Reptile was on his last legs, while Cage had sustained almost minimal damage. Reptile ran towards Cage. Cage shook his head, almost in pity. As Reptile was just an arms reach away from hitting Cage, Cage slid downwards into a split, before hitting Reptile.

Right in the nuts.

Izuku cringed. It didn't matter what species you were. That had to hurt. And indeed, according to Reptile's screams before he fell unconscious, it probably hurt quite a bit.

"He got Caged!" Cage exclaimed.

Izuku shook his head. Either this man was a B-movie actor, or some stupid bastard with an extremely overinflated ego. Hell, perhaps a mixture of both? It wouldn't be that much of a surprise at this point.

"That's it, Ha haa! Oh yeah! I'm so pretty!". Cage started walking around the ring, pointing towards various other Kombatants. "And I'm takin you down, I'm takin' you down, I'm takin you out, I'm takin' you out, and I'm taking you out… for dinner." Cage said, smiling at the blonde haired woman. The woman responded with clear disgust.

Liu Kang shook his head. "Well, you can't deny that he isn't….enthusiastic."

"That's one way to put it." Izuku replied, as he was scribbling down his analysis.

"Now for your second challenge, Mr. Cage. Baraka!"

The man in the white outfit roared, before jumping into the ring.

"Tarkatans." Liu Kang spat out disdainfully.

Izuku paused in his note taking. "I missed the memo here. Who're the Tarkatans and why do you hate them so much?"

Liu Kang turned to Izuku. "The Tarkatans are bloodthirsty and cruel monsters that exist only to serve the currently most powerful leader of Outworld. Many of Shao Khan's atrocities have been attributed to them."

"Noted", Izuku replied, quickly writing it down on Baraka's page.

"Mmm, ok… Nice makeup, but is it reeeallly necessary?" Cage asked the Tarkatan. Two steel blades erupted from Baraka's arms in response.

Cage stepped back in awe. "Whoa!"

Noticing Cage's shock, Baraka smiled. "They will taste your flesh!" he shouted.

And with that, Baraka moved first, scraping his blades together and shooting the sparks at Cage. Cage, barely able to dodge, responded to the attack with a clumsy leg sweep, one that Baraka merely jumped to avoid. Using his arm blades, Baraka lifted his body to perform a full double side-kick. Cage jumped to avoid the attack, and then capitalized on the brief opening he had to deliver a jumping crescent kick towards Baraka's head. This time, the kick connected, and Baraka hit the ground before bouncing into the air. Cage backflip kicked Baraka in his chin, further throwing the Tarkatan into the air. As Baraka came down, Cage threw a flying elbow strike into Baraka's chest, further extending Baraka's airtime. Baraka came down to Earth with a heavy crash. Unable to catch his breath, Baraka shakily got up to meet his opponent, before getting hit with a hard uppercut that launched him into the air, forcing him into unconsciousness.

"Man, I love those blades!" Cage exclaimed. He hunched down to talk to his defeated opponent. "My producer has got to meet you! We're doing Tommy Scissorfists, and-"

Shang Tsung interrupted Cage's little monologue. "Congratulations, Mr. Cage. Now. Finish Him!"

Cage looked confused for a second, before grinning. "Finish him? Yeah, right!"

Shang Tsung glared at Cage. "Kill him!" he commanded.

Cage, his grin starting to slip, looked around the arena, believing this to be a joke. However, everywhere he looked, no one was laughing. They all stood ramrod straight, paying close attention to the aftermath of the match.

Cage's smile evaporated as he realized the truth, that the old man wasn't bluffing one bit. "Whoa. Whoa, whoa, wait a sec! I'm not gonna kill anyone!"

Shang Tsung shook his head. "Very well." he stated, before standing up. "The tournament will resume at dawn!", and with that, Shang Tsung and his entourage left the stage. The monks that had been paying rapt attention the entire time rose up as well, leaving the ring.

"What, that's it. Really?" Cage asked the crowd, confused. He turned around to the other side, wondering what to do next, before rubbing his hands together.

"Now, where'd that hottie go?"

As Cage went to leave, Izuku and Liu Kang intercepted the man. Now that he'd realized the stakes, perhaps Cage could use some help.

"You fought well." Liu Kang complimented. "Thanks." Cage replied. "Nice...uhh...robes."

Izuku shook his head. "Do you know what you've gotten yourself into, Cage?"

Cage rubbed his chin in thought. "Well, I heard about this amazing little tournament that was going on in this small, secluded island, and that the winner would achieve legendary glor-"

Izuku sighed. "I shouldn't be surprised. Listen closely, because I don't wanna repeat myself. This tournament is more than a chance for personal glory. If you, me, that Secret Agent, and Liu Kang here don't win the tournament, then Earth is doomed. You've landed up in a tournament where we're literally fighting for the very survival of Earth."

Cage looked extremely confused. "What are you talking about?" he asked Izuku.

"Your last opponent was a Tarkatan. He was born with those blades." Liu Kang replied to the confused actor.

Cage scoffed. "Yeah. Those things are real."

Liu Kang continued onwards. "He represents Outworld. If you had lost, their emperor, Shao Khan, would have come one step closer to physically absorbing our world into his."

Cage still refused to believe what Liu Kang was telling him. "Outworld, yeah right, right…"

Liu Kang refused to give up, and soldiered on with his explanation. "The Elder Gods created the Mortal Kombat tournament to give all realms a chance to defend itself. However, Outworld has been the uncontested victor for hundreds of these tournaments. The last one to fall to Outworld was a realm known as Edenia. Now, Earthrealm is on it's last chance. The tenth, final tournament will determine the fate of our world. If we lose this time, Shao Khan will conquer all."

"Dun Dun Dunnn! Look, guys, I'm an actor. I save the world for the cameras. If this emperor is really a threat, call the military. Me? I've got a date with a blonde. Ciao!", and with that Cage sauntered away.

Izuku scoffed. "What an ass. I've met some irritating people in my time, but by God, does he take the cake. And he's supposed to be on our side?"

Liu Kang nodded. "He may be irritating, but you saw him earlier. He had the chance to take Baraka's life, but he refused. And he did end up surprising us with his martial skills. Perhaps Mr. Cage will surprise us again."

The Next Morning

Izuku woke up to a heavy pounding of the doors. "Dragon guy! Scary mask dude! You in there!", he faintly heard Cage shout. Izuku sighed, before jumping up. Cage sounded rather distressed. It could be important.

Izuku hastily put on his outfit and mask as Liu Kang opened the door. Cage stood there, bags in his eyes. "Dragon dude! Scary mask dude! Oh, am I glad to see you two. Listen, that blonde chick you were talking about yesterday? She's in danger. Her name's Sonya Blade, and she could really use your guy's help."

Izuku nodded. "Alright, let's go.", as the trio rushed off to aid their ally.

A Few Minutes Later

As the trio reached Sonya Blade, they could hear her faintly yelling at Shang Tsung that her partner needed a medic. Shang Tsung merely chuckled, before his entourage left to go back to the tournament.

"There she is!" Cage exclaimed. Sonya turned around to look at the three men that had entered the area.

"Sonya! You all right?" Cage turned to look at the injured man bleeding out on the ground. "Hey, looks like you found 'im. S'up, Sarge?"

"He's a ma-..." Sonya noticed Liu Kang going up to the injured man. "Hey, what are you doing?"

Cage grabbed her arm in reassurance. "It's ok. He's a cool monk dude."

Liu Kang's hands lit on fire, and started moving them towards Jax.

"Jax!" Sonya shouted, heading to the injured man, before Cage grabbed her again. "Seriously, he's cool."

A golden glow started engulfing Liu Kang and Jax, before disappearing. Jax breathed deeply, before moving his arms.

"That's amazing!" he shouted, jubilant that he had been healed.

Liu Kang nodded. "That… that's nice to...hear." before he fell to the ground. He quickly reassured the group that he wasn't dying, he had just exhausted his chi in trying to heal Jax. Cage breathed a sigh of relief, happy at the fact that his new buddy hadn't seemingly killed himself. Cage turned to Sonya. "Told ya he's cool!" he exclaimed.

"Let's get you up, buddy." Izuku said to Liu Kang, before putting Liu Kang's arm around his shoulder and getting him off the ground.

"Thank you, Izuku."

"No problem, Liu Kang."

Sonya turned to the monk and the vigilante. "Thank you….uhm…."

Liu Kang chuckled. "Liu Kang. My friend next to me is Izuku Midoriya."

"Pleased to meet you." Izuku replied.

Sonya smiled. "My name's Sonya. My partner's name is Jax."

"Johnny Cage. Didn't introduce myself earlier to you guys, so...you know...now seemed like a good time."

Liu Kang turned to Izuku. "Izuku, please, set me down for a moment. I need to talk with all of them." Izuku nodded, setting Liu Kang to the ground. Liu Kang sat up, and repeated what he had told Johnny and Izuku earlier.

"If we do not win this tournament, then Shao Khan will destroy us all."

AN: Jesus, that was long. This whole story is going to stick to Izuku's P.O.V. Mayyybe Mileena's a few times, but a majority will be through Izuku's eyes, and as such, he'll probably miss a lot of parts in the MK story.