AN: A small chapter before the tournament begins

Chapter 2: Rest and Resupply

Izuku and Jax walked across the streets of Hong Kong. Izuku in particular was taking the time to drink in all the scenery.

"Hmm. It's no Kamurocho, but damn, does it feel good to see those neon lights again."

Jax chuckled. "Yep. Soon as this tournament in Outworld's over, I'm going to my old man's bar in New Orleans. A little whiskey, some jazz, and some time to myself, and I'll be a happy man." Jax sighed. "I'm worried about Sonya, Izuku."

"She's tough, Jax. Besides, going to rescue her in the shape we're in won't do her any favors. You can't rescue someone if you're dead, after all."

Izuku took a moment to look around the area. "Ok, so, where's your contact?"

A black car rolled up, and a man in a grey suit and black shirt opened the door.

"Shen. Been a while."

"Nice to see you too, Briggs."

The two shook each other's hands.

"Gotta admit, Hong Kong seems to be treating you pretty good. Heard you were made a detective?"

Shen laughed. "Yeah, I was. HKPD found out quite quickly how much of a pain in the ass I was when I wasn't undercover, so they gave me a quick promotion." Shen looked around the area. "So, what's going on? I have a feeling you called me for more than just catching up."

Jax sighed. "My partner's been taken."

Shen crossed his arms, leaning on the car. "Shit, that doesn't sound good. Are you calling me cuz you need my help? Under normal circumstances, I'd drop what I'm doing and join you, but I'm in a bit of a situation myself. I've been put on a case that's going on in the Pearl River Megacity. It's pretty big."

Jax frowned. "How big?"

"Big enough that I've been assigned a partner. Some asshole called Henry Fang."

Jax winced. "That sounds pretty bad. Listen, me and my buddy here, we're here for supplies. No recruitment's going on right now."

Shen nodded. "Guns and ammunition are pretty hard to come by in Hong Kong. Luckily-"

At this, Shen popped the trunk, revealing a whole armory of weapons.

"I've got a few friends." Shen said, taking out a .45 Tactical SMG. He handed it over to Jax. "Your personal favorite, if I recall." Shen then turned to Izuku. "Hmm. You kinda strike me as a pistol guy, if you don't mind me saying."

Izuku smirked, before parting his coat to show Shen his pistol. Shen chuckled, turning to Jax. "I like this guy."

Jax shook his head. "He's a bit of a nutcase, but he's alright. He's here for a new pistol. His old one's almost out of ammo to use."

"Lemme guess, because you're in a rush and here in Hong Kong we only use 9 millimeter or .45 caliber?"

"Yep. Bit of a shame, really. My gun holds a lot of nostalgia. Ah well. Gotta break a few eggs to make an omelette, or in this case, rescue a friend."

Shen smirked, before taking out a 9mm, spinning it in his hand, and offering it to Izuku. Izuku grabbed the weapon by the grip, taking a moment to inspect the gun, before slipping it into his coat.

"It'll do." he said, taking a dozen clips for the 9mm from the trunk. He turned to Jax. "We'll need some medical supplies, too. We don't want to end up in that situation again with Liu Kang."

"I gotcha." Shen said, fishing out a first aid kit. "Might come in handy after you rescue your partner." He also took out a few grenades and handed them to Jax. "Hey, you never know." Shen stated, seeing Jax's confusion. Izuku took that moment to nab a few grenades, as well as stuff the small first aid kit in his coat.

A voice barked out something in Catonese over the police radio. Shen sighed, closing the trunk. "Well, duty calls. I hope you can save your partner, Jax."

"This stuff'll definitely help. Thanks, Wei."

Wei Shen entered the car, driving away. Izuku turned to Jax. "I'm curious, how'd a man in the Special Forces and an officer in the Hong Kong Police Department meet?"

Jax chuckled. "Me and Wei go back a few years. During 20XX, the Black Dragon and Tong Triad in San Francisco started wreaking havoc in the city. Special Forces assigned me to help out the SFPD, and that's where I met Wei. He's a bit…. brutal, but he's a good guy. Hell, I even considered inviting him over to Special Forces for a time. Unfortunately, he got transferred to Hong Kong for an undercover operation before I could make the offer. So, back to the Academy? We still gotta help Liu Kang with the mass funeral."

Izuku shook his head. "I'll make a few more stops. Got any cash I could borrow?"

Jax handed him a roll of Hong Kong Dollars, before stepping into a Taxi. "Get what you need. I'm heading back. Be sure to save some for some funeral wear, and a trip back.."

"Sure, dad. Whatever you say."

The taxi sped off, leaving Izuku to wander the streets. In truth, Izuku didn't really need anything, he just wanted to walk a bit in the city. A few minutes later, Izuku's attention was caught by a dazzling toy store.

He smirked.

A Few Hours Later, Wu Shi Academy

Throughout the Academy, large funeral pyres were erected to send off those that had died in the attack to the next life. Liu Kang and Kung Lao were solemn, as were the rest of the monks that were in attendance. Izuku had opted to wear a simple black blazer and white shirt for the occasion, as did Jax and Johnny.

Izuku clasped Liu Kang's shoulder. "We won't let Shang Tsung get away with this."

Liu Kang shook his head. "No, we won't. I will make him pay for what he's done. I swear, on all the lives he's taken today, Shang Tsung will suffer."

Izuku's face wore an expression of shock. He knew that something like this could cause a bit of a change in Liu Kang, but this was something else.

Well, that settles it. I have to keep an eye on Liu Kang, before he does something that he'll end up regretting.

AN: Like I said, this was a small chapter. I just wanted to give the bois some time to rest, recuperate, and resupply. In case you didn't notice, the first part of this chapter was one big Sleeping Dogs reference. I didn't even intend to do that, I put down Hong Kong in the Interlude II chapter just because, so it kinda wrote itself, XD.