The two warriors rushed at one another, their clashing fists sending small shockwaves through the area. Raiden stared in utter shock, taken aback by the overwhelming power he felt from that clash. The ninjas were a blur, and his eyes struggled to keep up with the frantic pace of the fight. He had seen them fight before, but never on a level like this. They were equally matched, blow for blow. " I can't see either of them!" Takeda stated. "I never knew Master Hasashi had this kind of speed." "Focus, Takeda" Kenshi replied. " Really hone in and you will be able to see them. That applies to everyone else who may also be having trouble with the fight. Use your ears over your eyes. Focus on subtle sounds such as footsteps, the way the wind moves when a fist is flying through the air. Then you will be able to not only see, but hear and feel the battle as well". Sub-Zero's leg moved through the air as he aimed a kick at Scorpion, the breeze hitting Scorpion's face as he dodged the attack. A sharp elbow joint connected with Sub-Zero's palm, the blue-clad ninja narrowly stopping what would have been a heavy blow to his midsection. A quick forearm block from Scorpion prevented his opponent from striking him. The sound of armor on armor rang out loudly, and neither fighter had landed a decisive blow. After an intense five minutes, the two of them suddenly stopped. Raiden and the others stood, perplexed at this situation. " Hey that was good! Why'd you guys stop?" Johnny Cage blurted out. " I'd say we've warmed up enough" Hanzo uttered. "Yes, I would say we have" Sub-Zero concurred. "You mean tell me that you two were only warming up?" Sonya said. "Yeah, I see it now. If y'all didn't notice, Hanzo hasn't used any of his Scorpion powers, and Sub-Zero hasn't utilized his control over ice. They were just getting ready for the real thing" Jax deduced. "Jackson Briggs is correct" Sub-Zero noted. "We've yet to unleash the true results of our training". He then turned to Hanzo. " I've been fighting Hanzo Hasashi long enough. I know you have been holding back, and so have I. Now then, I want to fight Scorpion". Hanzo nodded. " As you wish".
He closed his eyes and began concentrating. He thought back to his greatest shame, losing his family and clan, and then he thought of his desire to never let his clan fall ever again. After a brief pause, fire erupted from around him, a large blaze engulfing his body. Then, he calmly stood, yet the overwhelming heat was still emanating from around him. He had grown slightly, as well as his musculature becoming more defined. Most importantly, his eyes, which were originally dark brown, had become white, and one could see the intense fire burning within his eyes, flames that once burned for vengeance now burned for protection and justice. Hanzo Hasashi had once again become Scorpion. "Now then" he snarled, his voice changing and becoming deeper and more demonic in pitch. " Unleash your power, Sub-Zero". The Lin Kuei grandmaster silently stood and began concentrating. As he did so, a cold chill was felt throughout the entire arena. His arms had become an icy blue in color, and his eyes went from having blue pupils to being completely blue. It was a bright and intense blue, one that showed years of fighting experience and wisdom, making it quite obvious that this was a master martial artist. Sub-Zero moved even faster than before, a blur of black and blue running towards Scorpion. However, the Shirai Ryu grandmaster was ready for him. The clang of metal on ice resonated as the two men switched to weapons fighting. Sub-Zero's Kori Blade, made of ice, clashed with Scorpion's hellfire coated Mugai Ryu sword. A swift slash cut the ice blade in half, and then a loud thud was heard as a sharp kick to the chest sent Sub-Zero flying back. Scorpion lunged when Sub-Zero got back up, but missed and a loud snap of the teeth was heard as Sub-Zero hit a powerful elbow to the jaw of Scorpion. Both men had landed a blow on one another, thus signaling the official start of their fight. The battle had once again been taken to a whole new level, with both warriors fighting unrestrained and putting their full power into it. The area shook from the amount of power behind each blow and each clash. Scorpion's kunai whizzed by Sub-Zero's ear, however a second surprise kunai caught him on the right side of his chest. With a thunderous "GET OVER HERE!", Scorpion pulled on the chain and with a sickening thud, a hellfire coated fist connected with the jaw of Sub- Zero. Not letting him recover, a backflip kick sent Sub-Zero through the air and crashing into the ground. Scorpion went towards Sub-Zero again, preparing another strike- and found himself frozen in ice. "My turn" Sub-Zero said. He threw Scorpion on the ground, shattering the ice and when he stood, Sub-Zero responded with a quick ice slide and back kick combo. Sub-Zero then teleported behind Scorpion and drove his elbow into his gut, knocking the wind out of him. He went for a second elbow, but Scorpion teleported and hammered his knee into the midsection of his Lin Kuei rival, followed by a kick to the head that sent him reeling back. Despite this intensity, neither man had even broken a sweat and it was obvious they could keep going for much longer. "This has been quite the fight Sub-Zero. Let's end it, shall we?" Scorpion said. " Yes, we shall" Sub-Zero replied.
Sub-Zero placed his hands to his right side and began forming a ball of ice. It started out small, but kept gradually increasing in size. Scorpion responded by placing the bottoms of his palms together and building up hellfire energy. When they were ready, both fired huge beams, Sub-Zero firing a beam of ice and Scorpion firing a beam of hellfire. The beams clashed for some time, each struggling to overtake the other. Finally, a huge explosion occurred, knocking both fighters back. However, that still was not enough. Scorpion coated his right fist in hellfire, and Sub-Zero coated his left fist in ice. They ran to each other and with a loud thud, punched one another in the face. Both men went crashing through the walls on the opposite ends of the arena, knocking each other out.
Scorpion slowly came to. He was laying on the floor next to Sub-Zero, who had also begun to stir. He slowly stood up and shook his head. "How... how long were we out for?" he asked. "About an hour" Raiden answered. " Your fight... it was something else entirely. I did not even begin to think the two of you were capable of so much". Scorpion turned to Sub-Zero and helped him stand, and then the two shook hands, congratulating each other on a fight well done. "I now know what I must do to train the two of you" Raiden said. "But for now, rest. You both exerted yourselves greatly in that fight. When you are both sufficiently rested, the training will begin". The two grandmasters nodded, each pondering what would await them when their training began.