AN: And now, the beginning of the MK 2 arc! Be aware that I will try to fully utilize the M rating for this chapter. Also, for every arc, I'll revert the chapter back from 1.
Chapter 1: Massacre
Wu Shi Temple, A Few Hours After Johnny's Party Games
Liu Kang looked over the temple, lounging by the wall. Kung Lao stood next to him.
"So, what next for the 'Champion of Earthrealm'?" he asked.
Liu Kang shrugged. "I...don't know. After winning the Mortal Kombat tournament, there's not much one can do to top that." He sighed. "Maybe I'll follow Master Shen's advice, become a teacher for the next generation."
"How amusing." a voice next to the two brothers spoke, startling the two.
"Shang Tsung?!" Kung Lao exclaimed, put off by the sorcerer's presence in their home.
Liu Kang glared. "You've been revitalized, I see. I didn't realize your master was in the habit of rewarding failure."
Shang Tsung ignored the remark. "The emperor has a new offer, Liu Kang. A new tournament."
Liu Kang chuckled. "I see no reason to participate in any plan of yours, sorcerer."
Shang Tsung continued on. "The emperor proposes a single tournament, to replace the current system of ten. It will be held in Outworld. If Earthrealm does not win, Outworld will absorb it. But if Earthrealm wins, Shao Kahn will abandon his claim to it...forever."
Liu Kang dismissed the sorcerer with a wave of his hand. "Give your emperor my regards." he said.
Shang Tsung only smirked, before waving his hands. A large portal appeared in front of the Academy, with dozens upon dozens of Tarkatan warriors running out of it.
Liu Kang roared in anger, attempting to attack Shang Tsung. However, as his fist hurtled towards the sorcerer's face, Shang Tsung disappeared. Meanwhile, Kung Lao had jumped down, trying to halt the Tarkatan's progress.
P.O.V Switch - Izuku
After hastily waking the others, Izuku quickly put on his vigilante gear. Johnny handed his friends a large...something that looked almost like candy.
"Emergency Hangover Cure. Tastes like shit, but it's handy in a pinch."
Izuku quickly downed the thing, before retching.
"You really weren't kidding about that. What's this thing made out of, Motor Oil?"
Johnny shrugged. "Don't know, don't really care to find out. We gotta go help these guys!"
Izuku nodded, before heading towards the courtyard. The group was only a few feet away from the doors when the doors were hit with tremendous force, showing various cracks. Izuku held out his hands, deciding on a new plan.
"Change of plans. Sonya, Jax, you two find an alternate exit and help the monks in the courtyard. Me and Johnny will stay here and defend the monks."
Jax and Sonya nodded, before splitting from the group and heading in a different direction. The door started to show even more cracks.
"You ready, Johnny?" Izuku asked, as he racked the slide of his pistol.
"I was born ready!" Johnny replied.
The doors burst into splinters, and a horde of Tarkatans greeted Izuku's vision. Izuku quickly took out his pistol and shot five of the Tarkatans in the head before he was forced to switch to his switchblades. Johnny and a few of the other monks rushed into the fray. These monks were garbed in black and red robes, contrasting their orange and yellow counterparts. The monks wielded spears, swords, and other various weapons.
The fighters on both sides were ruthless. Blood quickly ran on the ground as the Earthrealm warriors, the monks, and the Tarkatans clashed. Izuku could barely keep up with the bloody spectacle, slashing away with his switchblades. A Tarkatan tried to jump towards Johnny, only to be met with a switchblade thrown into his back. Izuku quickly tossed the switchblade from his left hand into his right hand, before punching a Tarkatan in his teeth, disorienting his target long enough for Izuku to plunge the switchblade into his neck, grab his target's neck, and swing him around, knocking down the rest of the Tarkatans surrounding him with his target's body. Given a brief respite, Izuku decided to take out his pistol and shoot the Tarkatans while they were still on the ground. The number of Tarkatans rushing through the doors had lessened somewhat, as the monks were pushing them back with their weapons.
"I think the monks have this place covered! Let's head to the courtyard, reinforce Jax and Sonya's position!" Izuku shouted to Johnny while he reloaded his pistol, as the din of the chaos surrounded them.
"Sounds like a plan!" Johnny shouted back.
Izuku and Johnny ran away from the entrance of the building, going the same direction they saw Jax and Sonya take. Rushing outside, Johnny and Izuku were treated to the sight of dozens upon dozens of the monk's corpses desecrating the Academy, their bodies torn apart by the Tarkatan's savagery.
"Oh Jesus." Johnny whispered, taken aback by the brutality that the Tarkatan's had gleefully showcased.
Izuku snarled. He turned to Johnny. "We'll mourn later. Right now, stopping these bastards from killing any more people is our top priority."
Johnny nodded shakily, his trademark confidence now exhausted. The duo ran further into the courtyard, where they saw Jax and Sonya, along with another cadre of black and red robed monks fighting alongside their friends.
"Glad you guys are here! We could use a little help!" Sonya shouted, utilizing a spinning roundhouse on a Tarkatan warrior rushing their position.
Izuku nodded. He took out his pistol and switchblade, spinning the two weapons in his hand. A Tarkatan jumped into the air to decapitate the vigilante, only to be met with a bullet to the dome. The Tarkatan came down to earth, the force of the bullet flipping him in the air.
A few more Tarkatans rushed their position. Izuku took note of their positions, coming up with a plan on the fly. As the Tarkatans came within a few feet of Izuku, he slashed the throat of the nearest Tarkatan, before kicking him in the chest towards another Tarkatan. The warrior didn't have any time to react before the body of his comrade fell on top of him, throwing the two warriors to the ground. The third warrior, too occupied with the thoughts of bloodlust, comically tripped on the pile of bodies. His chin hit the ground hard. Blinking the stars away from his eyes, the Tarkatan was greeted with the sight of a black boot looming above his head.
Izuku brutally brought his foot down, hard, while activating a mechanism that utilized a blade in his boots. The Tarkatan's skull didn't offer any resistance, as the knife cleaved into the brain. Deactivating the knife, Izuku took care of the last survivor of the little group by grabbing the Tarkatan and viciously slitting his throat open. A fountain of blood poured out, which Izuku utilized by pouring over the steps that led to his position. The next group of Tarkatans fell victim to Izuku's tactic, as they all slipped and fell to the ground. Izuku quickly took care of them with his pistol.
Suddenly, Shang Tsung appeared in front of the group. Izuku quickly fired his last few rounds in his pistol at the sorcerer, only to discover that a barrier was protecting Shang Tsung from the bullets. The sorcerer waved his hands, and a giant flash of light blinded Izuku. Izuku closed his eyes in pain, before the Tarkatans ran into the group. Izuku tried to defend himself against the Tarkatans beating him down, but there was only so much he could do in that position against the onslaught.
A heavy boot hit his head, and Izuku lost consciousness.
Some Time Later
Izuku woke up, a pounding headache drumming through his skull.
"Agh. Shit. That's the last damn time I play games with you, Ca-" Izuku stilled, taking in his surroundings. The memories of the past hour came rushing back, and Izuku clenched his fists. He slowly got up, clutching his ribs. In front of him stood his friends, wearing various expressions of anger and sadness. Izuku took a brief headcount of the group before stopping, his blood chilled.
"Where's Sonya?" he asked.
Johnny shook his head. "That wizard asshole took her. Grabbed her while the Tarkatans were wailing on us."
Jax snarled. "We gotta go find her!"
Kung Lao agreed, wearing a similar expression. "We must follow them! We cannot let Shang Tsung get away with this!"
Liu Kang closed his eyes, his face carrying an expression of deep sadness and loss. "If we do that, it means accepting Shang Tsung's terms. To fight in a new Mortal Kombat tournament."
Kung Lao turned to his brother "So what?! We fought Shao Khan's fighters before, we can do so again!"
Liu Kang turned to Kung Lao, his expression growing more frustrated. "It's not that simple! We didn't beat Outworld through pure skill! We beat them because we got lucky! What happens if we accept Shang Tsung's proposition and we lose! The 500 years of peace that Earthrealm could've had, gone, because of our arrogance!"
Izuku sighed. "So that's what this is about."
The two Shaolin monks turned to him.
Izuku looked at Liu Kang. "Liu Kang, I know you don't think that much of yourself, but what you said just now? That's bullshit. Yeah, we had a few lucky streaks here and there, but if that was all we had, we would've lost the tournament." At this, Izuku gingerly took out his Combat Analysis notebook.
"If there's one thing I learned in my life, it's this. Doesn't matter how strong someone is, or how stacked the odds are against them. Long as you fight smart, and fight hard, no one can stop you. Ask Cyrax, or Raiden, or Scorpion, or Quan Chi. All powerhouses in their own right, and we kicked their asses. Why? It wasn't because we were stronger, it was because we played to our strengths and their weaknesses. And that's exactly what we're going to do when we hit Outworld. Fight smart, and fight hard, like the entire world's depending on us."
Liu Kang sighed, looking at the destruction of the Academy he had been raised in. His fists clenched
"Very well." He looked up to the Heavens.
"Hear me, Elder Gods! I, Liu Kang, Champion of Earthrealm, accept the terms proposed by Shao Khan!"
A golden light appeared, enveloping the group for a few moments. As the glow dissipated, Liu Kang turned to his friends. "We go to Outworld." he growled, uncharacteristically. Izuku made a mental note to look after Liu Kang, as his mental state might not be in the best shape considering the events that had just transpired.
Suddenly, a flash of lightning appeared before the group. Standing in the middle of the courtyard stood a giant blue dragon.
"Raiden?!" Liu Kang cried out, seeing the Elder God in front of him. Izuku snarled and activated his switchblade.
"Want a round two that badly?!" he shouted, furious that the Elder God chose now of all times to show up.
The dragon huffed. It spoke in an ethereal voice that sounded close to the Thunder God's mortal form.
"Enough. I am not here to fight. I am here to assist you this one time, and then I will be gone."
Izuku scoffed. "I find it hard to believe you'd just drop by and help us out of the good of your non existent heart."
A portal opened up in front of the group. "Take this. Shang Tsung has set up traps on the Nethership leaving today, hoping to preemptively take down a few Kombatants. After that, we will most likely never see each other again."
Liu Kang debated on trusting the Elder God for a few moments, before bowing and putting his hands together in respect. "Thank you for your help, Raiden."
The Dragon looked a bit confused for a few moments, before shaking it's head. "Don't thank me yet." it grumbled.
As Liu Kang made the motion to head into the portal, Izuku grabbed his shoulder. "Wait, wait wait, hold on a second, we need to think this through."
Liu Kang scowled. "I thought we already-"
"Not that, you stubborn bastard. I meant, we have to rest up and reequip! We just had a gigantic fight, after we drank the previous night away, a lot of your friends are dead and need a proper burial, and we're low on supplies! We could at least wait a day before heading into the fire!"
Jax nodded. "Izuku's right. Going into this half cocked won't help anyone, Liu Kang."
Liu Kang looked at the group for a few moments, before nodding. "Very well, you raise a good point. Lord Raiden, can you wait a day for us?"
The Dragon huffed. "One day. No more than that. I will be back the same time tomorrow."
AN: Sorry about the wait, guys! I took a break from this story for a little bit due to me wanting to explore some ideas for stories, expand on existing stories, and having to study for my finals. Now, however, I'm getting back into the story, so expect more consistent updates in the future!