Mortal Kombat: Elemental Realm
AN: Hello there, my dear readers! Man, I haven't uploaded in quite a while, so I apologize for that. College kinda killed the motivation to continue. But I'm back with this chapter. I hope you enjoy!
Now to reviews.
Dragonninja1983: Ah, ah, that would be telling.
Narutoreader750: Considering I don't think they are Shao Kahn levels of strength, yes, I think he has plenty to keep them occupied. Chakra cannons are exception and not the most viable option considering that most of the fighting would happen on the planet they live in and they wouldn't want to blast their own planet away. As for taking the chakra of a star, I have no idea how that works considering they aren't living matter so they shouldn't have chakra and you would have to specify which light novel.
atengawchok: Sorry, but this isn't that kind of story.
SpokyRigel: The old mostly.
bturner3898: Sorry, but no.
jexcel: I take both into account, and I don't see MK as inferior. Ermac's best feat was fighting Jax, Sonya, Johnny, and Kung Lao at the same time. He only got fodderized in the NetherRealm era of MK. And while Shikamaru is smart he isn't infallible. It isn't his fault he didn't know how Ermac's powers worked. And no, the Raikage wouldn't slap Goro considering all the characters Goro scales to.
Stakoza45: Well you're wrong on both accounts.
The-Howling-Behemoth: Yeah, we really needed just some good old tournament stories.
mugen-Tsukuyomi: Trust me, it does. I explained it before.
And to anyone else saying 'no, MK characters aren't comparable at all' I explained it plenty of times and I'm tired of repeating myself so don't bother commenting something like that again.
8 The Beast vs The Prince
Duroc grinned as his name was announced. After the fight his brother had, he was eager to get his own turn. Slamming his fists into his palms, he began walking towards the center of the arena, in front of the Emperor himself.
"Tear him limb from limb!" Goro called out with his fists raised.
Duroc looked back and grinned at his little brother.
Rock Lee took a small gulp as a bead of sweat dripped from his brow. So far their enemies were in the lead, and it was up to him to even things out. This Duroc was the same race as Goro, and considering they were both princes it seemed they were brothers as well, not to mention presumably similar in strength.
From what he had seen, these Shokan were incredibly physically tough, with the Shokan woman Sheeva being able to take Sakura's hits, and prince Goro outright powering through the Kurotsuchi's ninjutsu, all the while not taking the fight seriously.
Rock Lee then took a deep breath and began walking forward, with fierce determination in his eyes.
"Go, Bushy Brow! Take care of that four-armed freak!" Naruto called out.
"I know you can do it, Lee!" Tenten cheered for her teammate.
He was followed by several more cheers, which made him look back and give his friends thumbs up with a toothy grin, and he proceeded to meet his opponent.
"This seems fishy," Mei commented, getting the attention of her fellow Kage.
"So, you noticed it too," Tsunade said.
"Notice what exactly?"Ay asked.
"It took me a while to figure out, but I have my suspicions well," Onoki said. "These Shokan are incredibly physically strong, being able to power even through ninjutsu, so facing them in close quarters combat is an even greater risk. Ideally, a good opponent would be someone with good ranged attacks that could disable them before going to the offensive, or maybe someone with deep knowledge of genjutsu."
"Yet, instead all of the Shokan so far were matched up against fighters who mostly use blunt force, this includes Rock Lee now," Gaara said as he realized what they were talking about.
"Not to mention our ninja being paired up against people who could counter their abilities, like with Chojuro and Temari," Mei said.
Ay crossed his arms and his eyes narrowed. "So you're saying that these Outworlders know exactly who to pit against our ninja so they could have an advantage?"
"That, or this is just a big coincidence," Gaara said.
"Could be," Tsunade said as she looked at Shao Kahn, who still sat calmly in his throne. Since the fighters were chosen by him, it is possible it was only a chance that he got good picks, but considering they didn't know much about the abilities of Outworlders, anything may be possible. "But I doubt it."
"Your apprentice was able to overcome Sheeva because even her own strength was exceptional," Mei said. "Is Rock Lee on a similar level?"
"No, he isn't," Tsunade said. "He could reach a level above Sakura, but at too great of a risk."
"Well, whatever the young lad has, he better use it against this Duroc fellow. I sense he'll need it," Onoki said.
With the Outworld kombatants, Shang Tsung and Quan Chi watched the fights with amusement. These ninja from the Elemental Realm were formidable indeed.
However, the advantage is on their side.
Shang Tsung looked at the Hokage booth, seeing the five village leaders discussing something before looking at them and then at Shao Kahn.
Quan Chi noticed his fellow sorcerer's curiosity.
"Do you think the fools have caught on?" the pale Netherworlder asked.
Shang Tsung shook his head. "No, I don't think so. At best they are suspicious."
Quan Chi chuckled. "Well, as long as Raiden doesn't get involved our ploy should work."
"It's a shame we didn't get to kill more of them," Shang Tsung.
"Then next one might prove fortuitous," Quan Chi said with a shrug.
Rock Lee stood in front of his opponent, with the Shokan prince having his arms crossed as he looked down at Lee thanks to his towering height.
"I wonder what tricks you have up your own sleeve," Duroc said as he uncrossed his arms.
"Only my skill and the power of youth!" Rock Lee proclaimed as he got into his battle stance. "I hope the two of us have a glorious battle.
Duroc chuckled. "I like your determination. How unfortunate that it won't save your life," he said. "At least I hope you can make this interesting."
Shao Kahn raised his fist in the air. "Kombatants!" he said before slamming his fist down. "FIGHT!"
Immediately, Duroc hurled himself at Rock Lee, pulling back two of his fists for a mighty double strike. Rock Lee dodged the attack, moving to the side where Duroc's back was exposed to him. Lee used the opportunity and punched Duroc in the back, using quite a decent amount of force while doing it, but when it connected the Shokan prince didn't even let out a grunt as if the punch didn't even register.
Duroc then turned around with great speed, intending for a double backhand but Lee's reflexes kicked in and he moved away from the strike, with the two fists only a centimeter or two away from his body.
Rock Lee put some distance between them, before once again going into his battle stance. It was a good decision that he didn't bring his training weights with him, otherwise, he would have been too slow and surely incapacitated early. He could feel the air heating up from the sheer power of the punches when they almost struck him.
Duroc turned to his opponent, and once again went on the offensive, crossing the distance in a millisecond before delivering a barrage of punches aimed at Lee. The ninja was forced to avoid so many strikes sent his way, determined not to get pummeled to paste within seconds. This was almost a foreign experience to him as not many people could keep him on the ropes with just taijutsu, except for his sensei Might Guy.
After a while, Lee saw a pattern to these punches and came up with a strategy. After several more punches, Lee gathered the strength in his legs, and when the final punch came, Lee jumped over it before giving a strong jab to the thick forearm, slightly altering the course of the punch but enough for Duroc to slightly lose his balance. Lee was currently in a mid-spin over Duroc before slightly unraveling the bandages on one of his arms and wrapping around Duroc's neck.
'Time for the first gate!' Lee thought as his chakra began flowing.
Lee soon landed on the ground, pulling Duroc backward thanks to his bandages around the Shokan's neck. Using his momentum, Lee pulled hard getting Duroc off his feet and slightly flying through the air above him. Lee then made a quick move where he laid on his back, with both of his feet to his chest. Gathering as much strength as he could, Lee made a double kick right into Duroc's back, which caused the Shokan prince to fly upwards with a grunt.
Grinning, Lee got to his feet and jumped upward, making sure to be right behind Duroc. He then unraveled more of his bandages and wrapped them around Duroc, completely encasing him. Lee then grabbed the wrapped Duroc, and diverted him downward, ready to enact one of his special moves.
The two then began moving towards the ground as Lee spun Duroc around.
"HIDDEN-!"
But then Duroc burst out of his cocoon of bandages, arms spread with one even hitting Lee head-on. The Shokan prince landed feet-first on the ground, cracking it, while Lee fell on his back, with some torn remains of his bandages on the floor.
"It was a very nice attempt," Duroc commented. "You were quite clever with that move, but it was all for naught."
From the stands, Goro smirked as he looked at his brother once again decimate another opponent.
Lee got up, a trail of blood trickling down the side of his mouth which he quickly wiped off. His gamble didn't pay off, and now he was at an even bigger disadvantage. It would appear that only a direct approach remained.
"Now, let's end this little fight, shall we?" Duroc said before suddenly opening his mouth, and letting a large stream of fire out of it.
'This is it! Now is my chance! Time to open the Gates!' Lee thought as he began opening the pools of power from within his body. 'Gate One, gate of Opening, open! Gate Two, gate of Rest, open!' The wind began picking up around him as the fire drew closer. 'Gate Three, gate of Life, open! Gate Four, gate of Pain, open!'
Lee got himself into a crouching position, with his left leg forward and the right one back. The wind began blowing around him as he was surrounded by a green aura as his skin turned red with some veins visible from the strain he was putting on his body, and his eyes turning completely white.
The fire breath was just about to connect.
'Gate Five, gate of Closing… OPEN!'
The aura intensified and the wind picked up as Lee dashed forward with speed that even some combatants couldn't keep up with. Lee actually pierced through the fire breath, his arms crossed in front of him so his face wouldn't be hit by the fire.
Duroc's eyes widened as he saw what the green-clad ninja was doing. 'What?! How is he suddenly-?!'
"Leaf Hurricane!"
Duroc was then suddenly hit in the face by the sole of Lee's foot, the force strong enough to hurl him back a dozen meters before the Shokan prince landed roughly on his back with an audible grunt.
Duroc quickly shook off the dizziness he felt before rising up, but suddenly doubled over as he received a powerful punch into his gut. Looking down he saw Lee with narrowed eyes and clenched teeth, but then his vision was obscured by another punch into his head.
Lee continued his assault, striking Duroc repeatedly and forcing him backwards. However, he knew this wouldn't last forever with how enduring these Shokan were, so when Duroc went to counter, Lee was prepared. He avoided the double punch by moving to the side and then delivering a swift kick to Duroc's chest, stunning the large combatant. Then he jumped and delivered a spinning kick to the side of Duroc's head forcing him to the side.
Duroc then swiped his arms to the side, forcing Lee to avoid the hit and going for a punch at his opponent, but Duroc grabbed his fist with his upper left arm and punched Lee's chest with his bottom arm, making Lee spit some saliva out of his mouth from the power of the punch.
Then Duroc delivered a double punch to Lee, sending him back. Lee rolled on the ground several times, letting out several moans of pain while doing so. Then he spun and got himself to his feet and his eyes focused on Duroc. He then coughed into his hand, seeing some blood on his bandages with the red liquid also dripping down his nose.
The green aura around him began to shiver. This wasn't good. He was already putting pressure on his body and being actually punched while he was like this only increased the damage he would normally receive.
'Damn it! I should have known five Gates wouldn't be enough!' Lee thought as Duroc then began running at him.
Duroc then closed the distance between them and readied himself for a powerful punch.
'Gate Six, gate of Joy OPEN!'
The aura around Lee increased, he ducked under the punch before delivering his own to Duroc's face, completely catching him off guard. Lee then brought his leg up and began delivering a barrage of rapid kicks to Duroc's chest, shoulders, and head.
Duroc then brought an arm up to block a kick and throwing Lee's leg away.
"ENOUGH!" Duroc roared as he brought all four of his arms next to him. "No more playing around!"
Faster than anything he had done before, Duroc sent a flurry of blurring punches at Lee's directions, forcing Lee to duck, block, avoid, and sidestep all of them, along with giving some of his own counters.
Lee was beginning to feel the strain from his technique. Besides Guy sensei, nobody was able to match his strength and speed in hand-to-hand while using the gates, but unlike Guy sensei, his opponent wasn't at risk of straining himself since he didn't use the Gates.
He'll need to up his game before-
Lee's fist then got caught by Duroc's arm, with the bottom one grasping his leg. Smirking, Duroc then grabbed the other leg before his last arm went for Lee's own. And soon, Lee found himself lifted above the ground, all of his limbs in the clutches of the mighty Shokan.
Lee tried to use his strength to get out but Duroc's grip was firm and unyielding.
"Yes, struggle all you want," Duroc said. "It will make your demise all the more painful."
Duroc then began pulling on the limbs, making Lee gasp in pain, his eyes shut tight as he struggled to fight out of the Shokan's grip.
Back with the ninjas, Tenten had a look of horror as her hand went to her mouth. "Oh… Oh, no," she muttered. She already lost one teammate. She didn't want to lose another. 'Please, Lee, you have to make it out of there.'
Sakura's fists cracked audibly as she watched the scene unfold. Duroc was trying to tear Lee's limbs off with the green ninja trying his hardest to fight back, but it would seem even his Gates weren't helping.
'Come on, Bushy Brows!' Naruto thought as he watched his friend struggle.
Lee's gums almost bled with how much he gritted his teeth from the strain. If he didn't do something soon he is done for.
Duroc chuckled. "I have to admit, this was more fun than I was expecting, so I congratulate you for that. You should feel honored to have given Duroc, a Shokan prince such a challenge. But now… Die!"
"No! I still have… one thing… left," Lee struggled to say as his eyes barely opened. 'GATE SEVEN, GATE OF SHOCK… OPEN!'
The green aura around Lee heavily intensified, catching Duroc off guard. With his even greater strength, Lee wrestled out of Duroc's grip on his limbs before giving him a mighty kick to the head, making him gaps in pain he never felt during the entire fight.
Lee then flipped himself over where his hands were on the ground while he brought his feet up and double-kicked Duroc in the chin, sending him flying upwards. The moment Lee's feet touched the ground again, he hurled himself upwards at Duroc with both of his legs in front. When he reached the Shokan, he began sending incredibly rapid kicks with his legs right into his chest, sending him further into the air.
All Duroc could do was grunt in pain from the repeated hits and taste the blood that was gathering in his mouth.
Lee then hurled himself above Duroc before bringing his leg up high, and delivering a mighty axe kick down, hitting Duroc in the back and making him fall.
Not satisfied, Lee then dashed down, and with a mighty scream brought a barrage of punches on Duroc's descending form. The punches came so fast and strong that they were catching fire. Duroc had no time to react as countless punches began hitting almost every part of his upper body.
With one last scream, Lee brought his fist up for a final punch which he struck Duroc in the face with. The force of the punch sent Duroc down fast, and the moment he impacted the ground, the arena floor breaking upon impact, creating a spiderweb-like pattern of cracks and some jutted rocks, a dust cloud also gathering in the air.
The audience let out a collective gasp at the spectacle they were seeing. Never before have they seen such a mighty display of strength and power before
Lee then landed on the ground feet first, the green aura still blaring intensely around him. He looked in the middle of the crater where a sprawled body of Duroc lay. He was bleeding from multiple parts of his body, two of his arms were bent in an unnatural position, and his face was mangled from the abuse he suffered.
Lee then let out a sigh before suddenly being struck by a pang of pain in his chest, forcing him to kneel and cough up some blood. The green aura around him disappeared, and his skin returned to its natural color.
He let out several heavy pants while positioned on his knees and arms. He could feel the consequences from opening the Seventh Gate as his body ached all over.
"He did it!" Kiba exclaimed.
"Way to go, Lee!" Ino cheered.
But then, much to everyone's shock, Duroc's body began twitching as some blood sprayed from his mouth. He turned around and used his arms to push himself up, with him getting to his feet after a while.
Lee looked in complete shock at what was happening. His opponent still wasn't down? With a pained gasp, Lee began rising as well and got into a fighting position. If his opponent wasn't going to give up, then neither was he.
Duroc made several slow and heavy steps across the ruined floor, his injuries still bleeding.
However, after a step or two, Duroc then suddenly stopped. His body then began shaking before he once again fell on his back, all four of his arms spread out, his bleeding intensifying.
Several moments of silence followed as Lee just stared at Duroc's unmoving form. Not a breath, not a twitch of muscle could be seen from the Shokan prince as he continued lying there.
Shao Kahn's fiery eyes watched over the scene, trying to see if there was any sign of life within Duroc. Finding none, he rose up with his fist in the air.
"Rock Lee wins!" Shao Kahn exclaimed. "Fatality!"
The crowd then erupted into a large cheer, finding incredible thrill at seeing such an epic fight finish. The ninjas cheered as well at seeing Lee pull off a win.
Lee gave a slight smile at his victory, but he still felt somewhat bad that he ended up killing his opponent.
With a flash of lightning, Raiden appeared next to Lee before grabbing his shoulder, making the young ninja wince a little. With another flash of lightning, the two were back at the stands where his friends were.
They quickly moved over to congratulate Lee on his victory, with Lee scratching the back of his head and a smile appearing on his face.
At the arena, Goro walked up to his brother's body before leaning down and picking it up. He then gave the green-clad ninja a look as his comrades were congratulating him.
Lee actually noticed and looked back at Goro, giving him a regretful look to which Goro just scoffed and walked away, his brother's body in his arms.
Shao Kahn, who decided to still stand instead of going back to his throne, stared at the ninjas as they talked among each other. His eyes then flashed green for a moment as a small frown appeared on his face.
His gaze then went to the Outworld fighters, particularly Shang Tsung and Quan Chi, both of whom had smirks on their faces.
The Emperor of Outworld then raised his hand, which slowly began stopping the cheering from the crowd, and even getting the attention of the ninjas.
"People of the Elemental Realm!" Shao Kahn called out. "I have a proposition for you!"
That got everyone surprised.
'A proposition?' Tsunade wondered.
'What exactly could this Shao Kahn want now?' Ay thought with his arms crossed.
Raiden's eyes narrowed. He never saw Shao Kahn do something like this before.
"My proposition is simple!" Shao Kahn exclaimed in his booming voice before spreading his arms. "A Battle Royale!"
AN: And that is it, my dear readers! I hope you enjoyed the fight and that you're excited for the next one. I'm sure you're curious about what Shao Kahn has planned for the tournament. I also hope I made Duroc actually look badass.
I also implore you to check out my other stories. You won't regret it. And leave a review, they are great motivators.
See you next time!