Disclaimer: See previous chapters
SulliMike23 – Well, I wouldn't say- Ah, who am I kidding; yeah, things are about to get bad.
-0-
It was a slow and grim procession after the first championship match ended and the spectators dispersed from the arena. Among the group, Naruto and Sakura were particular solemn faced, with Sakura bordering on barely-concealed horror. There were times, very few times, when she regretted being a medic-nin. Dealing with the injuries of others was an occupational hazard and she had to learn how to stomach some of the nastier wounds and injuries that were brought to her to treat and heal. It was easy to understand and sympathize why Tsunade left the medical field altogether for a time.
…Particularly after today.
It was practically impossible not to wince and be horrified by the blows unleashed by the champion in today's fight. But while many there could only guess, Sakura knew exactly the damage inflicted, in unfortunate detail. And at the end of the fight, there was no need for any guesswork on the part of anyone.
It was a total, gory mess…
-0-
"FIGHT!"
Despite the energy felt throughout the audience and the arena at the sound of the match's start, neither fighter made any sudden moves. Tobias shifted into a solid stance and slowly stepped to the side, partially circling his larger opponent. Meanwhile, Goro remained in place, but steadily watched and followed the young fighter's movements. The tension grew, with Naruto and Sakura watching intently, waiting for the fight to commence (with a bit of impatience on Naruto's part).
'!'
Faster than anyone could blink, Tobias rushed forward and practically shot into the air midway at the champion in a blur, with the fist that shot out even faster. Both teen shinobi were shocked by the speed of their friend and even Kakashi gave a blink of surprise. That shock and surprise however, was not shared by Goro, who deftly blocked the attack with a simple lift of one of his arms. Using the momentum, Tobias flipped over Goro and lashed out with a kick mid-way, aiming for Goro's head.
That too was blocked…
It was when Tobias touched down on the ground that Goro finally moved to attack, swinging back his lower right arm. Fortunately, Tobias was able to flip backward out of the way and regained his stance and footing, but now Goro went on the offensive, taking a large step toward the young fighter and striking out with both his left fists. Tobias flipped backward again, but the rush of air from the attack threw him off balance and he wound up partially crashing on the ground.
"Come on! You can do it!" Naruto yelled.
Rising up from the ground, Tobias was suddenly met with an advancing Goro. Although he did little more that stride toward him, his large steps brought him in close at a quick pace. Initially forming a defensive stance, Tobias instead ducked and dodged as Goro came at him with a series of attacks. His fists came at the youth with such swiftness they looked as though he had multiple arms.
And then you remembered that Goro did, in fact, have multiple arms, which made it worse.
Watching the fight, Liu Kang was in awe and dread at the movements of the champion. His attacks weren't wasted or thrown about randomly. They were precise and flawlessly executed. Only Tobias' speed and agility was keeping him from taking a hit, but only by the barest of margins. This immediately told the Shaolin monk the first weapon in Goro's arsenal, his bulky size. It was deceptive, making him appear as though he was a brute that would be relying on pure strength while lacking in speed. But his attacks and the smooth, but rapid pace that they came up clearly showed that Goro was more than a mere brute.
Far more…
Spirally away from a twin back hammer-fist, Tobias flipped back and away, giving himself some space between him and the champion. Goro didn't pursue; merely turned about to face his opponent. Tobias grimaced; his first assault had done little to nothing against Goro. Granted, he didn't expect to actually get anywhere early on, after all Goro was the reigning champion for a reason. But Tobias was unable to find any openings or flaws in their exchange. Still, he would continue on. As strong as Goro is, he had to have a weak point.
And he was going to find it.
Dashing forward again in a blur, Tobais struck out with his fist once more. And again, Goro easily blocked it. This time though, Tobias didn't flip over Goro, but rather let himself fall down and touch the ground. Seeing this moment as an opening, Goro attacked with both his right fists. But Tobias swiftly ducked under them and rolled toward Goro, unhooking a pair of tonfa from his back as he became upright and struck out at Goro's leg, hitting it hard. Goro gave a low grunt and stepped back, but Tobias pursued, attacking his leg again and again until one blow caused the champion to stagger a bit and bend low. Seeing his chance, Tobias twirled about and went in at full force and straight at Goro's head, with his weapon hitting home on the champion's skull. But that turned out to be a grave miscalculation on Tobias' part. For one thing, in bringing the half human-dragon low, Tobais had put him in a better position to strike back. And another, the blow Tobias delivered neither harmed, nor stunned the champion.
It enraged him…
With a roar, Goro swung his upper right fist in a brutal uppercut, meeting squarely with Tobias' side, with a sickening crack as a result followed by Tobias flying backward through the air. From above, Sakura winced, her mind already processing the damage sustained. With a blow of such force that it resembles hers and her mentor's, there was a good chance that there were internal injuries, possibly a punctured lung. This was the first blow Tobias had taken, but given the force of it, it would have been enough.
Which is why it was surprising to see Tobias suddenly flip in the air and land on his feet.
"Yeah!" Naruto cheered.
Tobias gave a grimace, partially shuddering in pain from Goro's attack. Meanwhile, the still-upset champion began to stalk toward the young fighter. But rather than move away, Tobias remained still and closed his eyes. Liu Kang watched with interest as he sensed the familiar surge of chi flowing through the youth. Bringing his arm back, Tobias opened his palm which began to glow in a white light. Meanwhile, Goro continued to advance on him, and then attacked when he was close enough. In that moment, Tobias' eyes flashed open and with energy that he didn't seem to have, leapt up and onto Goro's fist.
"Ha!"
Thrusting his palm forward, Tobias unleashed an arrow of pure energy directly into Goro's face. The champion was blasted full-on and reeled back, now dazed. Seeing his opening, Tobias quickly hopped up from Goro's now flailing arm and rotated in the sky, snapping his leg forward and again hit the side of Goro's head before landing on the ground. He then shot forward for another strike, ready to continue his assault before the champion could fully recover.
Only to be stopped when a pair of hands caught him around the waist…
-0-
After that point, the match turned into a scene of complete brutality. Goro had grabbed hold of the attacking youth with his lower arms and smashed down on him with his upper fists. Tobias had tried to defend, but with no way to escape from Goro's grip, he had no choice but to take the hammer-force blows that literally rained down on him until he was tossed away like a broken rag doll. Even though Tobias was amazingly still alive and feebly trying to get back up onto his feet, the match was over.
And then, Shang Tsung gave the call to Finish Him…
Those stunned by the words were then completely shocked as Goro took to the air, leaping so high up that he was practically out of the pit. For a brief moment, everyone had a close look at the champion; his monstrous physique, his formidable strength, his controlled, but monstrous, fury, all things that answered the question as to why he was the champion for so long.
And then he descended and stomped down on Tobias' back…
Sakura shook her head. That memory was still too fresh and she doubted very much it would leave her thoughts soon, especially considering the crater Goro created as a result and the mess of body parts of a fighter they had considered a friend. Once more, her medical training paid off because she had been sorely tempted to lose her lunch right then and there, while some of the other remaining fighters had done or had come close to doing. Though the horror was clear in her eyes, she managed to keep her posture neutral and calm.
She couldn't say the same about her teammate…
As Goro was declared the winner and the chants of 'Goro lives' arose again from the shadow monks, Naruto began marching toward the pit, his intentions clear and made even more so when an orange haze of chakra leaked out of him. She began moving toward him to stop him, noting out of the corner of her eye that Kakashi was doing the same. But in the end, it was a simple hand on Naruto's shoulder that brought him out it.
Raiden…
No one knew where he appeared from or was even aware he had been watching the fight. But his intervention served its purpose as the orange haze around Naruto dissipated. At least for now… Sakura knew full well that this wasn't something Naruto would let go; that much was certain. But after what she had seen, the brutal might of the champion, she couldn't help but worry…
It could very well get him killed.
"That's the guy? He doesn't look like much, boss."
In an isolated area around the palace, Kano sat with two other men. The sun was low in their area, so there wasn't too much illumination. However, that didn't prove to be a problem as they gazed at the holographic image being projected from Kano's cybernetic eye, an image of Liu Kang.
"Ya right about that" the Black Dragon leader commented. "But a job's a job."
A muffled groan sounded out and Kano and his companion gazed up at the third man of the group; Kalus, who was still suffering from the beating he received at Cage's hands. Aside from having to pop his shoulder back into place, he also had to set his leg as well. Fortunately, it wasn't as bad as it could have been considering the fight, but now he had a very painful limp to deal with. Typically, that made mobility a problem, but that wasn't his biggest concern.
His biggest concern…was his companions.
The criminal organization of the Black Dragon was feared for good reason. Aside from their activities, its members were some of the most viscous people alive, even to each other. Signs of weakness were equivalent to blood in shark-infested waters and dealt with just as ruthlessly. Kalus guessed that the only reason he was sitting with his partners at all was that they didn't know the full extent of his injuries and that they needed his help for the job. But he would have to be careful not to show too much or they would turn on him. He would know.
Situations reversed, he would do the same…
Swallowing the pain, Kalus inquired with a neutral voice "When do we make our move?"
"Soon" Kano grinned "Very soon."
"That was some fight, eh?"
Elsewhere on the island, the two members of the Akatsuki also took the time to reflect on the match they had just witnessed. Kisame seemed to have thoroughly enjoyed the match as evidenced by the sharp grin on his face while Itachi remained his typical neutral self.
"It seems the sorcerer has advanced his plans. We will have to act accordingly."
"Sure thing. I wouldn't mind taking a shot at that champion."
Itachi fought the urge to spare his partner a gaze at that comment. Such a reaction would have betrayed his skepticism, as he didn't believe Kisame would fare as well against Goro. For that matter, he wasn't certain he would be able to best him either. Goro's strength and skill was formidable, but Itachi sensed that there was more to him than what was displayed in that match. And that unknown had him on edge. Facing Goro would undoubtedly push him further than he would like, which in turn may disrupt his own plans.
"Not yet" Itachi replied vocally. "We'll hold off until the second match. If nothing else, the next opponent may be able to bring out more of Goro's abilities."
"After that match, I don't think anyone will have the guts to face him; unless they want them splattered all over the place."
According to the rules of the tournament, three opportunities will be given to the remaining challengers to face and defeat Goro. With Tobias' loss, that left two openings left. But Kisame's words spoke the truth; after his match, there wouldn't be many eager to face the champion, especially if they wanted to avoid the same end as Tobias. However, this led to a new problem. By the same rules, is a worthy challenger is not found within three days…
Goro wins Mortal Kombat by default.
"They will have no choice."