Chapter Twenty-Nine
Cathedral - Newark, New Jersey, USA
Within the confines of a gothic-style cathedral, Fei Long quickly pulled out one of his nunchakus and used the heavy chain that held the two handles on the weapon to block an incoming blade attack from his opponent Dinora - one of four Manji clan members who accompanied Yoshimitsu to Mishima Island. As soon as the move connected, Fei Long inwardly sighed with relief.
Good, her weapon didn't break mine right away, he thought to himself.
From there, the Hong Kong actor evaded more of Dinora's attacks by ducking and dodging from her wakizashi sword. One maneuver even brought the blade a little too close for comfort by Fei Long's cheek. He knew in that second that he needed to disarm her.
Fei Long watched for the right moment that left Dinora wide open as he ducked underneath her attack once more. As soon as that happened, the actor slid forward and threw three punches at her torso. His fists in that moment were covered with flames with each hit, and the last punch sent Dinora flying back before she crashed into a nearby pillar. She lost her grip on her sword in the process.
Despite the pain, Dinora managed to stand back up. Fei Long remained in a fighting stance until she was ready. As he waited, the actor took a quick second to rub the side of his nose with his thumb. Right after that, Dinora ran towards him with a battle cry.
Dinora managed to get herself on offense, which forced Fei Long on defense. There were a couple of times where her punches were able to lang on him - one in the face and the other on his chest - but the actor stood his ground regardless.
Eventually, Fei Long stepped aside from an incoming fist before he grabbed her wrist. He then made it try to look like he was about to trip Dinora as he took his foot, hooked her ankle, and pushed it slightly sideways - only for him to promptly let go of her wrist, jump up, and flip around his opponent in order to get behind her. Just before Dinora had the chance to react, Fei Long promptly delivered another flaming punch to her side, which launched her away a few feet.
Meanwhile, Fei Long's tag team partner, Johnny Cage, fought nearby against Dinora's partner, Zivis, ever since the five minute timer went off a couple of minutes ago. The two originally started off going back and forth with various punches and kicks and switching between offense and defense. That was until Johnny delivered an uppercut - with a green aura trailing along - underneath Zivis's chin with enough force to send him hurling back before he landed hard on the tiled floor of the cathedral.
Johnny gave Zivis a grin after that. "You know what the difference is between you and me?" he asked aloud.
Zivis got back on his feet and gazed at his opponent almost boredly through his black and gold hannya kabuki mask. "Let me guess… I make this look good."
Johnny raised his eyebrows at that. "How did you figure-"
"I watch movies, too, believe it or not," Zivis quickly pointed out. He grinned under his mask. "Which reminds me - the main actor in that particular movie bitch slaps better than you can punch in Dragon Fists."
Johnny gasped in horror at that and clutched his hand to his chest. "Oh you didn't just compare me to -"
Zivis quickly took the opportunity to slide forward, crouch down, and perform a low flip. In the process, he extended both his feet upward, and both his heels hit below Johnny's chin. That made the actor's head snap back as he lost his footing and fell back first into the ground.
Zivis flipped back on his feet before he stared down at his opponent. "Ha! You actually fell for that."
Johnny's eyes widened at that. "A pun? Seriously?"
"What? You think you have a monopoly on puns?"
Johnny kipped back up before he faced his opponent again. "Fair enough. By the way, there's something you should know."
"And that is…?"
"...Your fly's open!"
Just as Johnny hoped for, Zivis quickly gazed down at his own pants. It was the perfect distraction for him to lift his leg up high and glide forward. A green aura followed behind him before his foot connected to the top of Zivis's head. With a yell, Zivis flew back before he hit the ground side first.
"Ha! Made you look!" Johnny called out with amusement.
Nearby, Dinora managed to grab for her sword again, which prompted Fei Long to pull out his nunchaku. They momentarily went back and forth with their weapons again before Dinora ducked underneath an oncoming attack and delivered a palm strike to Fei Long's stomach. She then straightened himself up and then followed with a head-butted the actor's head, which made him see stars in his vision as he fell back. As soon as his vision cleared, he saw that his opponent stood over him and had the tip of her blade a few inches from his neck.
"Concede!" Dinora called out.
He knew it was a ruse, but it still made Fei Long a little nervous for a moment. However, that didn't stop him from lifting a foot up to kick Dinora's wrist. Once more, she lost her grip and the sword flew sideways - and right in between both Johnny Cage and Zivis as they continued to fight a few feet away.
"Hey, watch it!" both Johnny and Zivis shouted after the near-miss.
"Sorry, my fault!" Fei Long called out.
Dinora used his split second distraction to grab for Fei Long's hair and pulled him towards her in an attempt to deliver another headbutt. However, Fei Long quickly punched her stomach, which caused Dinora to double over in pain. This gave the actor the chance to roll back to give himself some space before he got back on his feet.
Fei Long wagged a finger at her. "Tsk tsk tsk. Close, but not close enough."
He heard Dinora let out a sharp exhale before she ran towards him again. From there, the two began to exchange moves once more…
A few feet away, the fight between Johnny Cage and Zivis continued. At one point, Zivis delivered a spinning roundhouse kick to Johnny's face, which caused the actor's head to snap sideways and for his legs to wobble. Johnny grabbed for a nearby bench before he completely hit the floor.
"OW! Not cool!" he shouted as he rubbed his cheek.
Johnny then quickly shook the pain off before he shot out two green projectiles, one after the other. Zivis managed to dodge away from the first one, but the second one hit him squarely in the torso and forced him to stumble a few feet away. Just as Zivis regained his balance, Johnny swiftly moved in closer before he delivered a flip kick. His foot hit Zivis's chest and launched him back until he hit a pillar head first a few feet away. After that, he promptly fell to the floor.
Zivis didn't get up after that.
"Knockout detected," a drone soon announced.
In response, Johnny Cage took out his sunglasses, put them on his face, then folded his arms in front of his chest. "Yeeeah," he said in triumph.
At the same time, Fei Long once more had the upper hand as he delivered a few rapid punches at Dinora. He then followed through with an uppercut, which sent Dinora into the air before he jumped up and delivered a flying kick to her side. She screamed as she was launched across the room before she smashed against the pillar and fell to the floor.
After a few moments of lying on the ground in pain, Dinora attempted to sit up, but only managed to get herself halfway. Between that and noting that both her opponent and his tag team partner were still standing, she knew that there was no chance of winning…
Dammit! Dinora shouted in her head. "I… concede…" she finally murmured before she hung her head in shame.
The drone soon said, "Concede announced. Fei Long and Johnny Cage win the match."
"I'm telling you," Johnny suddenly started. "'Johnny Cage and Fei Long' has a much better ring to it."
Fei Long resisted the urge to roll his eyes - this wasn't the first time they had an argument over who would have 'top billing.' So rather than indulge his tag team partner (again), he walked over to where Dinora sat. She gazed up at him as soon as she noticed his approach.
"Are you okay?" Fei Long asked the Manji Clan warrior. He then extended a hand out to her.
"I will be, thank you," Dinora replied as she accepted Fei Long's offer. She grabbed his hand and he carefully pulled her to her feet. "I didn't expect to win this tournament or anything, but… it still stings, you know?"
"Still, you gave me a good run for my money," Fei Long complimented. "I can see why you were chosen for the… mission you're on."
Dinora nodded in appreciation. "Thank you, again. I should go check up on Zivis. I doubt he'll be happy once he wakes up and finds out we lost the match."
"Well, you tell him he did damn good," Johnny pointed out. "And if he ever decides to leave the clan and go into action films, tell him to give me a call. He'd be perfect for a job as a fighting choreographer."
"...Eh, sure. I'll tell him that." From there, Dinora walked over to where her unconscious tag team partner was.
Fei Long then turned to Johnny, who gave him a grin and a thumb's up. "Two rounds down. Six to go," the American actor said.
Port of Genoa, Italy
"Welcome to the Port of Genoa in Italy, Lita Luwanda and Lucia Morgan. Your opponents will arrive momentarily."
"This is kinda nice," said Lucia as she gazed at their surroundings. She noted both the old buildings that faced the Ligurian Sea, and the sailboats and small ships that were parked at port. She also noticed how some of the light poles were painted in various colors - three per pole - in a spiral pattern. "I've never been to Italy before. I bet the food here is amazing."
"You bet," Lita replied as she, too, looked at their surroundings. "I've been here twice before on missions. First in Florence, then near a little place called Castellaneta. What I learned is that the same type of dish is definitely made differently depending on cities, regions, etc."
"What meal was that?" Lucia asked curiously.
Before Lita had the chance to answer, a portal opened up just a few feet away. It only took a moment before the other tag team stepped through. Although neither woman knew their opponents all that well, they did recognize them instantly as fellow Chose Ones.
"Welcome to the Port of Genoa, Italy, Queen Sindel and Princess Kitana. You may begin the match at any time."
"Hi there," Lucia greeted the two Edenians.
"Hello," replied Kitana. "Are you two ready for the match?"
"We are," answered Lita.
"Since you went first last time, dear daughter," Sindel started with a small smile. "I think it's fair if I go first this time."
"Of course," Kitana agreed.
With that, Sindel took a few steps forward before she stared at her opponents. "Which one of you ladies would like to face me?"
Lita quickly nudged Lucia. "You go first."
Lucia gave her tag team partner a "Why me?"
"Because I like Sindel's idea. I went first in the last match, so now it's your turn to go first."
Lucia narrowed her eyes at Lita. "Oh fine."
From there, the Metro City officer took a few steps forward before she got into a fighting stance. "If you don't mind me saying," Lucia started as she looked at Sindel. "I admit to being a little jealous right about now. You are very beautiful."
"Why thank you," Sindel replied with a sweet smile. "And don't be jealous. You're a very pretty girl yourself."
Lucia smiled at the compliment. "Thanks, I appreciate that."
"However," Sindel continued. "You might regret your words in about three seconds."
Lucia raised an eyebrow with confusion. "How so?"
Suddenly and without warning, Sindel's hair extended towards her opponent with such speed that Lucia had no time to get out of the way. Before the Metro City native realized it, Sindel's hair wrapped around her waist, lifted her right up, and tossed her across the dock they were fighting on. Lucia let out a scream until she landed hard on her side.
"Ow…" she groaned after.
By the time Lucia sat up, Sindel floated towards her. The second the two women made eye contact, Sindel promptly started throwing a few purple colored projectiles at her with her hands.
"SHIT!" Lucia screamed as she forced herself to get up. She then ran and dodged from the projectile. Each one was a close call, and she was certain one was going to hit her sooner or later. Thankfully, that didn't happen by the time Lucia ran towards the nearby spiral-patterned pole.
Just as Sindel floated down towards her, Lucia promptly covered the space between them before she jumped up and performed a roundhouse kick. Her foot was covered in flames, which Sindel hadn't expected. The Edenian attempted to back away, but Lucia's foot connected to her side. With a yelp, she was launched a few feet away.
By then, Lucia was back on the ground, and waited until Sindel floated back down to her level. She didn't hesitate to run towards her opponent just as the Queen landed on her feet. As soon as she was close, Lucia attempted two kicks, both which Sindel dodged from. She then followed with an upward kick and her foot was able to catch the bottom of Sindel's chin. From there, Lucia jumped up and performed a spin kick, her leg surrounded by flames. The move swiftly connected to Sindel's side again, and she flew a few feet.
Lucia waited until Sindel recovered before she performed a back kick, which promptly shot out a flame projectile. The officer then turned around and expected the projectile to hit her opponent. However, to Lucia's dismay, Sindel evaded the move by flying up towards the air.
From there, the Queen leaned forward and unleashed a scream that rivaled that of a banshee. It forced Lucia - as well as both Lita and Kitana - to shield their ears. For Lucia, she could've sworn that the scream practically vibrated from within her chest, like she was standing right next to the engine of a jumbo jet. It was no surprise that, by the time Sindel's screams faded, her ears were ringing quite loudly.
I swear if I get tinnitus after that… Lucia thought with annoyance.
From there, Sindel shot out another projectile from her hands. Lucia attempted to evade it, but realized that she was too slow the moment it hit her side. With a yell, Lucia flew sideways before she hit a pole head first not too far from where she was standing moments ago.
The landing promptly knocked her out cold.
"Knockout detected," a drone called out.
"Oh blimey…" Lita murmured after the announcement. She then stepped forward towards Sindel, certain that she was going to fight the Queen of Edenia.
However, Sindel decided to tag in Kitana. The older woman briefly touched her daughter's shoulder to mark in the tag before Kitana stepped forward. Lita was still walking when Kitana suddenly took out her two fan blades and tossed them forward in fast speed towards her opponent.
Upon seeing this, Lita promptly drew out her zweihänder sword and used the flat side of the blade to block the two spinning fans. Lita smirked as she expected the fans to fall to the ground - only for them to promptly return to Kitana's hands like they were boomerangs.
"...Oh that's just rubbish," Lita growled under her breath.
Kitana then spun herself before she disappeared in a blue mist. The same mist reappeared closer to Lita, and the Princess was soon right in front of her. Prepared by this point, Lita swiftly blocked a fan attack with her sword. For a few moments, the two women went back and forward with their respective weapons. As large and heavy as Lita's sword was, she couldn't help but be impressed by the resilience of Kitana's fan blades.
They're definitely made from very good material if they haven't been broken by now, the MI-6 soldier guessed.
At one point, Lita managed to push Kitana back enough to leave the Princess wide open. Lita then took the opportunity to smack Kitana's face with the flat side of her blade. Kitana yelped in pain as she stumbled sideways, though she was still able to keep her fan blades within her hands.
As Kitana started to recover, Lita swiftly moved in (after she sheathed her sword in its scabbard behind her) to deliver a kick to the Princess's side, followed with a back punch to the face, then crouched low for a sweep kick. The last move sent Kitana crashing onto the dock.
Even after that, the Princess still managed to keep her fans in her hands. How in the - the agent started to think.
But before Lita could finish that though, Kitana swiftly rolled back, got on one knee, then fanned her weapons towards her opponent's direction. A blue mist was created and promptly floated towards Lita, who attempted to back away. However, the mist moved too fast for the agent before it surrounded her.
"AAH!" Lita screamed as she suddenly floated up to the air. Kitana then turned around, jumped up, and darted back first through the air until she hit Lita's torso. With another yell, Lita flew back until she hit the ground.
Despite the pain in her body, Lita forced herself to stand back up. Once she was on her feet again, Kitana made an attempt to cover the distance between them once more. Lita backed up a bit before her back bumped into one of the spiral-patterned poles. An idea quickly came over her mind.
Lita waited until Kitana was close enough before she turned around, grabbed for the pole, jumped, and spun her body around it once. By then, Kitana was within reach for Lita to kick both of her feet into Kitana's sternum. The force of the hit launched Kitana a few feet away before she landed hard on her back.
Kitana swiftly kipped up while Lita grabbed for her knives and threw them at her opponent. Not surprisingly, the Princess used her fan blades to block all the knives - and sent one in her opponent's direction!
"Shit!" Lita screamed as she dodged her own knife before it cut her. At the same time, Kitana swiftly teleported behind the agent while she was distracted. The Princess then moved to get within reach before she delivered a roundhouse to the back. That sent Lita stumbling forward, but she was able to keep her footing.
Then, as Lita turned around, Kitana moved in close again before she performed a jumping double kick that hit Lita in the cheek and nose. As the agent held her face in pain, Kitana spun around fully and then delivered a hard palm strike to the sternum. With a gasp, Lita was pushed hard backwards and flung across the dock until she crashed head first against the barrier between the deck and the sea. After that, Lita slumped onto the dock.
A few moments passed before a drone announced, "Knockout detected. Queen Sindel and Princess Kitana win the match!"
"Oh dear," Sindel started. "I hope we didn't hurt them too badly."
"I'm more worried about our hearing at the moment," Kitana pointed out. She shook her head as though she was trying to get the ringing out of her ears. "Please mother, warn me next time."
Sindel chuckled with amusement. "Sorry, dear. Next time, I'll try to scream a little more quietly."
Kitana shook her head again, but out of disconcertion. "The way you said that sounded like you were… ugh, never mind."
Rooftop, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
As the sun began to set on the west side of the city of Boston, tag team partners Juli and Juni found themselves silently staring at their opponents - Rain and Tanya.
Having been Chosen Ones during the Universal War, Juli and Juni knew that Rain and Tanya were once enforcers for Shao Kahn. And both knew that they were likely serving the new forces under Quan Chi - or the resistance, they weren't sure. Juli especially remembered seeing them both at the Wastelands in Outworld the morning of the battle that ended the Universal War. In the back of her mind, Juli could only wonder how formidable they were in a fight as she hadn't fought against either of them during that time.
It was Rain who chose to step forward. He didn't stop until he was halfway between Tanya and their opponents. His brown eyes shifted between the two. "You're likely 'commoners' of your world, but even I must admit that you're both quite the beauties. Consider it an honor that you have the opportunity to fight against a God."
"Oh please…" Tanya grumbled under her breath as she rolled her eyes from behind her significant other. She then spoke up louder. "Yes, Rain, as much as I agree that they're very pretty girls, I'm much more interested in crushing their faces underneath our boots right about now, especially mine."
Rain rolled his eyes with a huff. "Fine." He turned his attention back to the two women. "Now - which one of you will -"
He didn't have the chance to finish that sentence when Juli - having enough of his arrogance - swiftly stepped forward and lowered herself. From there, she planted her hands into the ground, pushed her lower half upward, then followed with an upward spiral arrow. Her heels landed under Rain's chin, which promptly snapped his head back and sent him flying up to the air.
"Ouch," Tanya muttered from where he stood. But I bet his ego will hurt more after that…
Despite the pain, Rain managed to flip himself back and land gracefully on his feet. "Bitch," he growled. He then quickly raised a hand up and, using his hydromancy powers, formed a water-filled bubble that he hurled towards the direction of his opponent.
Juli's eyes widened as she was surprised to see this, but she nevertheless jumped over it before it hit her. However, this ended up leaving her open as Rain took the chance to teleport behind her and deliver a hard and fast roundhouse kick to her back.
"AAH!" Juli screamed as she flew fast across the rooftop and, thankfully, landed just before she hit the edge. As pain coursed through her body, she forced herself to sit back up. She then looked and saw Rain stalking towards her.
Juli quickly shook her head as she clenched her teeth with determination. She waited until Rain was close enough before she planted her hands on the ground again, bounced herself off, and extended her legs forward. Her feet squarely hit Rain in the front of his shins and caused him to trip forward. Juli swiftly rolled out of the way before he landed on top of her.
"Oof!" Rain grunted as soon as he hit the ground face first. He took a moment to shake off the pain before he rolled sideways and slid to his feet. As Juli got back up nearby, he attempted his own low kick, but Juli jumped away before it connected. He then shot out a water projectile, which hit her square in the chest and knocked her onto her back.
Rain performed a kip up before he ran over to where Juli fell. Juli herself rolled back and got herself on her feet again just as her opponent reached her. Rain went in for a punch, which Juli ducked under before she moved around and swiftly wrapped her arms around his waist. She then made an attempt to perform a German suplex, but Rain promptly elbowed her face, which caused her to cry out and force her to let go and stumble back.
Quickly, the hydromancer whirled around to face his opponent before he slid towards her and delivered two double kicks, his feet surrounded by water. The liquid soaked the front of the shirt Juli was wearing, which he noted with a smirk underneath his mask. He then extended his hands out and unleashed a thick stream of water that was heavy enough to knock her back. The projectile left her completely soaked after that.
As Juli sat back up, Rain went right to her and reached for her wet hair before he pulled at the roots at the crown of her head. That made some of the brown strands loosen from her ponytail. Juli couldn't help but let out a cry as the sharp pain from his pull hit her.
"Concede!" Rain demanded as he attempted to pull her up to her feet by her hair.
"Not to you!" Juli growled. She then grabbed his wrist with both hands and started to twist it, but Rain pulled back and got himself out of her grip before she had the chance to snap it.
That gave Juli the opportunity to move to jump up and flip backwards. Once more, her foot hit underneath Rain's chin and snapped his head back. He stumbled back, but was able to keep his footing this time around.
Once Juli was standing again, Rain glared at her as he formed a water ball around his left hand, "Behold the Son of Argus!"
He then punched the ground, which created yet another water wave that rose up to Juli's knees. She was unable to get out of the way before it tripped her. Juli was in the mist of falling forward when Rain shot out one more water projectile that hit Juli's face. Her body flew back a few feet before it crashed onto the ground and near the edge.
She didn't get up after that.
"Knockout detected," a drone soon announced.
With one opponent out of the way, Rain turned his attention to Juni, who was just getting into her own fighting stance and was ready for battle. She stared at him with disdain, but said nothing otherwise.
"She's mine!" Tanya suddenly called out to Rain from behind him as she ran forward. She promptly 'tagged' him by slapping his bicep before she sprinted after Juni.
"Ugh, fine," Rain grumbled as he took a few steps back.
As soon as Tanya was within reach, Juni turned around and delivered a kick upwards and back before she flipped mid-air. "Cannon spike!" she yelled out as her foot hit Tanya squarely in the face.
"Argh!" Tanya shouted as she stumbled back while she held her face in pain. Juni then tried to take advantage of this by jumping up before she performed a diagonal downward kick. However, Tanya recovered in time and managed to jump back before the kick connected to her head.
After shaking off the pain, Tanya waited until Juni was close before she lifted her leg and delivered a downward kick, which Juni jumped away from. The MI-6 agent then tried to move in again, but her head snapped back when the tip of Tanya's boot caught underneath her chin after the Edenian used the same leg to kick upward. As Juni tried to recover, Tanya went in with her other foot and kicked her right in the face. Juni shouted in pain as her body flipped back before she crashed face first into the ground.
"That's for before!" Tanya shouted.
As Juni tried to recover, Tanya quickly jumped up and attempted her own downward heel kick, but Juni moved back before it hit her. As soon as the Edenian was back on the ground, she promptly threw a fireball projectile at Juni. This time, it hit her midsection, the force of it making her stumble back.
"Dammit!" Juni cried out as she managed to get her footing.
A sadistic grin came over Tanya's face as she flipped forward and jumped again in a spinning somersault. Juni tried to pull back while she was still recovering from the last hit, but Tanya was able to kick her in the stomach. Juni let out a gasp as she stumbled a few feet before she keeled over and held her stomach in pain.
Tanya gave Juni a sweet smile. "You have such a lovely face. It's a shame that I'll be rearranging it momentarily."
Anger welled up within Juni over the taunt. Forcing herself to ignore the pain in her body, Juni swiftly flew forward - and it took her a moment to realize how quickly she moved towards her opponent as though she had just teleported. Nevertheless, she grabbed for Tanya, jumped up and flipped back before she slammed the Edenian back first into the ground. Juni took great satisfaction in hearing Tanya shout out in agony.
After she rolled back onto her feet, Juni stood there with some confusion as she waited for Tanya to be ready to fight again. That run I just did… How did I do that? she asked herself.
The MI-6 agent didn't have time to ponder over it further as soon as Tanya kipped up. The Edenian covered the space between them and began to throw a few punches and kicks, which forced Juni to block and parry. However, the exchange didn't last long before Tanya broke through Juni's defenses and managed to kick her midsection once more. As Juni started to keel over, Tanya swiftly teleported behind her opponent before she delivered a flaming punch to the back of Juni's head. The last move sent the agent flying forward before she crashed near where Juli had fallen as though she was nothing more than a ragdoll.
"Now stay down!" Tanya demanded despite knowing that Juni was unconscious at this point.
A drone soon made its announcement. "Knockout detected. Rain and Tanya win the match!"
Rain smirked underneath his mask after that. "Weaklings, just as I expected."
"Hrm," Tanya grumbled under her breath again. She saw their opponents' potential, mainly her opponent, but found the match a little too easy for her taste.
Maybe next time, we'll have a better challenge, Tanya thought. As long as Rain's ego doesn't get in the way…
Sailor's Rest, Costa da Caparica, Portugal
In a battle on an old pirate ship resting at dock, a sword extended out and broke into multiple pieces. Connected by a single thin rope, the pieces lashed out like a whip, which caused the woman it aimed at to quickly duck and roll underneath before it connected.
Ivy Valentine narrowed her eyes as she realized that her attack missed her opponent, Calaca - a woman in a black dress with red lining, her face painted like a skull with red, blue, and orange dots and swirls along the eyes and cheeks, black hair pulled back into a low ponytail, and a crown of red roses with a skull brooch on top of her head. As Ivy pulled her sword back, Calaca rolled back onto her feet and stood in a fighting stance in defiance, clearly ready for more.
Ivy smirked smugly a little as she raised a hand and beckoned her opponent to her. "Won't you come closer?" she taunted.
Calaca simply narrowed her eyes at her as she pulled out a short sword from the scabbard on her belt. She then flew forward and swiped her sword in an up-down motion, which forced Ivy to jump back before it cut her. While she did this, Ivy quickly pulled her own sword back - the weapon forming back into one piece - before she used it to block a down-up attack from her opponent.
Next to them, Ivy's tag team partner, Yoshimitsu, was fighting Calaca's partner, Cráneo. Cráneo - who wore an all-black tuxedo with a skeleton outline, his face painted like a skull, and a top hat decorated with a few marigolds around the rim - fought sword-to-sword against Yoshimitsu with a rapier.
Clearly, the fight had been taking place for over five minutes with Ivy and Calaca going after each other as soon as the timer went off.
At one point, Yoshimitsu and Cráneo's swords were locked, and the two attempted to overtake the other. Then to Cráneo surprise, Yoshimitsu suddenly leaned his face close and unleashed a thick, green mist from the mouth of his mask.
Cráneo started to cough and choke right after that. The stench was like a potent moldy wet rag to him, and he wondered briefly if he had been poisoned.. "UGH! What the-!" he started to yell.
From there, Yoshimitsu raised his sword above his head with his mechanical hand. He then activated the swivel motion on his wrist, which promptly turned him into a human helicopter as he started to fly up into the air. By then, Cráneo recovered from the last attack and he only then noticed his opponent flying in the air.
"What the hell?!" he shouted out in astonishment. He then threw his free hand forward, and it took Yoshimitsu a split second to realize that three projectiles in three different colors - orange, magenta, and light blue - were shaped into Cráneo's rapiers. The Manji Clan leader flew sideways to evade the first two projectiles. For the third projectile, he quickly took out his short sword from its scabbard and blocked the energy and sent it flying sideways and out towards the Atlantic Ocean.
Then before his opponent reacted, Yoshimitsu flew towards Cráneo, grabbed his head with his feet, lifted him up, then threw him across the ship's deck before he crashed into a small group of empty wooden barrels, which shattered upon impact.
Yoshimitsu stopped his wrist swivel and landed on his feet. He waited until Cráneo was up again before the latter shouted and ran towards them. From there, the two continued their sword-to-sword battle.
Meanwhile, Ivy just pushed Calaca back to give herself some space before she snapped her wristed and promptly uncoiled her sword once again. As Calaca ran towards her, the Keiseian spun herself while her uncoiled blade was charged and surrounded in a magenta-colored flame aura. She then swung her arms and whipped her sword sideways. Calaca blocked the whip with her own sword, which made the tip wrap around it twice.
With a smirk, Ivy yanked the sword out of Calaca's hand and tossed it far behind her on the other side of the ship's deck. "Perhaps you should concede," the Keiseian suggested.
Calaca narrowed her eyes at her before she swiftly extended her hand out. A cluster of small red projectiles shaped into elongated rhombuses shot out from her hands and hurled towards the Keiseian. The smirk on Ivy's face dropped just before she began to run forward towards her opponent. She dodged a few projectiles, blocked others with her sword, and one nearly cut across the side of her face (she only knew because she saw it fly past her eye).
Calaca tried to pull back, but Ivy grabbed for her with her free hand before that happened. She then pulled Calaca forward, kneed her in the stomach which caused her to cry out and fall forward. Ivy then decided to add insult to injury by lifting her foot up and stomp her foot into Calaca's back. Calaca cried out in agony as Ivy slightly dug her heel to add to the pain.
"Submit!" she yelled out.
While that went on, Yoshimitsu performed a double cartwheel kick. The first Cráneo was able to dodge away from, but the second one connected to the top of his head and knocked him face first to the floor.
With a growl, Cráneo rolled back and got himself on his feet again. Before he could move again, however, Yoshimitsu slid closer to his opponent before he rapidly spun himself, his elbows hitting Cráneo's sides. It caused him to stumble sideways and drop his rapier before Yoshimitsu halted his spin.
From there, the Manji Clan leader closed in on him, delivered a punch with his free hand, then followed with an upward kick underneath Cráneo's chin. The last move caused him to fly back before he crashed head first against the nearby pole that held up the ship's sails.
At the same time, Ivy managed to get some distance between herself and Calaca after the latter stood back up before the Keiseian stabbed her sword into the ground. Calaca attempted to jump back as she believed the sword would reappear below her. However, it actually reappeared through a small portal Ivy created using her alchemy skills and hit her opponent in the back. Calaca cried out in pain as she stumbled forward while Ivy pulled her sword back through the portal again and coiled it into one piece. By then, Calaca was close enough for Ivy to lift her leg and deliver a roundhouse kick to the side of her head.
Calaca landed next to Cráneo and she fell into unconsciousness like he did moments ago.
"Knockouts detected," a drone soon proclaimed. "Yoshimitsu and Isabella win the match!"
Ivy looked over at Yoshimitsu after his victory. The Manji Clan leader carefully placed his sword in its scabbard before he straightened himself back up and turned to Ivy. As soon as he saw her, he gave her a simple nod, which the Keiseian returned.
"Since when do you create portals?" Yoshimitsu suddenly inquired low enough so the drones that were filming them didn't catch their conversation.
"Very recently during my… isolation," Ivy replied in a whisper. "But I've only developed one that can pretty much only teleport someone or an object barely a quarter of a mile away from where I'm standing. But as you witnessed, I managed to find its use through combat."
"I see," the Manji Clan leader said. "Well… keep it up. Maybe someday, you'll figure out how to make a portal to other realms like my sword has."
Speaking of portals, it wasn't long before one opened up a few feet away. After a small crew came through to pick up their unconscious opponents, the duo headed to the portal and briefly found themselves in the blue, swirling vortex. Upon their arrival back to the casino auditorium, the duo were met with a handful of claps and cheers. The spectators were clearly well entertained during the fight. Still, Ivy couldn't help but feel baffled over the reception.
She also realized that she was no longer used to any semblance of praise, not since the deaths of her parents.
With confusion, Ivy leaned closer to Yoshimitsu to whisper, "They're… clapping for us? Why?"
"Because they were impressed by the match," the Manji Clan leader explained.
"I get that," Ivy mentioned. "But what I don't get is why… after what I've done…"
Yoshimitsu understood then. "I think it's because a majority of those here are not aware of your role in the Universal War. Many of them here likely did nothing more than defend Earthrealm. Any news they heard likely only mentioned Shao Kahn and Outworld. Nothing more."
Ivy sighed. "I see."
"Well," Yoshimistu started after he decided to change the subject. "I'm off to get lunch. Do you want me to bring anything back to your cabin?"
"No, thank you," Ivy replied. "I still have some reserves that should last me a couple of more days."
"All right. In that case, I bid you farewell, and I'll swing by with more food in a couple of days."
Ivy gave him a brief nod before the two headed outside the auditorium. Once they were at the main floor of the casino, the two went their separate ways. Yoshimitsu headed to the snack bar while Ivy went straight to the outside world.
Unknown to either of them, three figures wearing hoods to conceal their identity blended themselves amongst the crowd. The trio in question - Reiko, Skarlet, and Kunimitsu - had visited here for the past few days as they realized that this would be the best place to find their target. They saw Ivy and Yoshimitsu come into the casino this morning and simply waited until their match was over. They waited just a little longer to make sure that the tag team partners went their separate ways.
As soon as Ivy was out the door, the trio of Reiko, Skarlet, and Kunimitsu began to discreetly follow her.