KITANA 1: Last Boat To Hell
A/N: Just a couple of quick notes here-
1. Most of these stories will take place in a version of "real-world" Earth rather than the Dragon World that is featured in Dragon Ball
2. Most of the stories will not be in continuity with each other unless I specifically mention it.
With all that said, on with the show!
If you'd asked Gohan a few days ago if he thought he'd be starting his summer vacation by sailing off on an old junk out of Hong Kong, a boat that was sailing itself with no visible crew, and was populated with a strange and eclectic set of passengers, he would have said, 'no.'
Gohan had already seen one guy with a metal plate on one half of his face and that wrapped over his right eye go down below and while the rest of the passengers weren't quite that strange, they certainly didn't look like a group of tourists. Some of them were his friends and family, including his dad, Son Goku, Piccolo, and Android 18 but the rest were strangers. There was a dark-haired man in a rumpled tuxedo with a very loose bowtie whose sole interest seemed to be the women onboard. Two other men appeared to be Chinese from what he could tell. Gohan could also sense their ki so whoever they were, they were highly-trained martial artists. There was also a group of three women, two of whom were wearing combat gear, one with brown hair done up in classic Chinese braids, one with blue hair tied up in a messy ponytail and the third had straight-cut, shoulder-length blond hair. Gohan could also sense that there were others onboard who were, for whatever reason, keeping out of sight.
"Hi there." Gohan looked over to where Android 18 was currently leaning against the starboard railing of the junk, arms folded across her chest and currently directing an arctic glare at the man in the rumpled tuxedo, who had just removed his sunglasses, which he was wearing at night, and was flashing her a rakish smile.
"What's a beautiful lady like you doing on a boat like this? You here for…?"
"It is SO important to your future that you not finish that sentence," said 18, frost practically coating every word. She continued to glare at the man in the tuxedo until he chuckled and put his sunglasses back on.
"Sure thing, babe. I'll be over here if you need me." The wannabe Romeo then, funnily enough, wandered over to where Gohan was.
"Man, tough crowd on this boat. How's a guy supposed to chill out? So, you here for that tournament thing as well, kid?"
"Yes. My name is Son Gohan," he said, reaching out to shake the man's hand.
"Johnny Cage," replied Johnny, then paused as if he were waiting for something.
The handshake started to get awkward.
"You know, Johnny Cage, internationally-acclaimed martial arts film star?"
"Um… sorry," replied Gohan, "I don't really watch a lot of movies at our house."
"So let me get this straight: You're on this mystery boat, headed off to some island in the butt-end of the South China Sea, to go to this super-secret, Kumite-style fighting tournament, and you at least seem to be dressed like you know how to fight, and you HAVEN'T seen any of my movies?"
"Uh, no, I haven't."
"You really need to get out of the house more, kid," Johnny replied, chuckling. "So how DID you find out about this party?"
"My dad and I and some of our friends were invited," replied Gohan, pointing over to where his dad was doing some stretched nearby and where Piccolo was meditating.
"Really? I only found out about it because we were filming a movie here in Hong Kong" said Johnny. He was staring at Goku pretty intently, although Gohan wasn't sure why.
"So, who invited you?"
"Would you believe me if I said, 'God?'"
"Uh… no. But I like that line, very 'Blues Brothers.'" Johnny waited for a beat but Gohan just stared back at him. "Not even the classics, huh? You REALLY need to get to a Blockbuster Video, kid. Anyway, that blonde bit of deliciousness over there, is she with…?"
Speaking of blondes, the blonde commando-looking lady and her friends had made their way over to where Johnny and Gohan were standing by the railing.
She introduced herself as Sonya Blade and her companions as Leona Heidern and Chun-Li, an officer of Interpol. They were searching for a man named Kano, who had also boarded the boat and Gohan mentioned that he had seen him but Kano had gone below deck without speaking to anyone else. Before Johnny could try out any of his 'moves' on the three women, they immediately made their way over to a door below the raised deck where the ship's wheel was moving by itself. Before they could do anything however, a figure seemingly melted out of the shadows, dressed in blue and black and dropped in front of the door.
"The hold is off-limits, none may enter without permission."
Though the man did not speak loudly, his voice could be clearly heard across the deck of the junk. Gohan's eyes narrowed as he studied the mysterious warrior; he could feel the man's ki and it was the coldest he'd ever felt from anyone or thing.
Sonya seemed very much like she was about to press the point, Chun-Li and Leona shifting into fighting stances alongside her. But before anything else could happen, Gohan felt a pulse of ki and the blue-clad warrior threw his right hand forward, a deadly spike of ice materializing and hurtling towards Sonya. There was a flash of light and a crack of thunder and the ice spike was evaporated.
"Children, play nice or I'm turning this boat around."
The voice belonged to a man dressed in blue and white with a sedge hat, who was standing on the wheel deck above the door. There was another flash of lightning and then he was standing between and to the left side of the Sonya and the ice warrior.
"It wouldn't do to have Kombatants fighting each other before the actual tournament, right, Shang Tsung?"
Just as that was said, the door to the lower hold swung open of its own accord. The ice warrior stepped aside and from the shadows emerged an old man, dressed in ornate but functional robes. He smirked lazily as his cold eyes swept across the people assembled on the deck. When his gaze settled on the masked shadow warrior, the man nodded in deference to Tsung and went through the door down into the hold.
"Are you the captain of this ship?" demanded Sonya. Shang Tsung quirked an eye brow and smirked at her.
"I am… the master of this vessel, yes."
"Then I need to talk to you about a man named…"
"Kano? Yes, yes, all in good time Lieutenant Blade. You'll be able to have your shot at him soon enough," said Tsung in that kind of patronizing voice parents sometimes use with an unruly child. Sonya clearly didn't like Tsung's tone and seemed to want to press the issue.
"Unless you wish to… challenge me on this?" said Tsung, his smirk widening into a sickly grin.
Even from his position on the sideline of this conversation, Gohan could feel Shang Tsung's ki pulse and there was something… rotten about it, like nothing Gohan had ever felt before.
"No!" A short, sharp bark from the man in the sedge hat. "There will be no challenges before the tournament starts."
"As you wish," replied Tsung, with a shrug. Quick as a snake, he spun on his heels and returned from whence he'd come, the door to the hold closing behind with sharp finality.
"What the hell was that?" snarled Sonya, "If you thought that was helping, it was…"
"Lieutenant Blade, I can explain for the benefit of you and your companions, but let's do it over where the others are, so I only have to explain myself once." The Sedge Hat Man turned on his heel and walked briskly over to where Gohan and everyone else were gathered. Sonya looked like she'd just about had it up to here with all of this but after a whispered few words from Chun-Li, she made her way over to where everyone was now gathered, including the two monks.
"Piccolo! You're looking well," said the lightning warrior, "Or is it Kami? or Kamiccolo? Kaminailccolo? It's getting a bit hard to keep track, you know."
"Raiden," grunted Piccolo, "I see the centuries haven't managed to work the smartass out of you yet."
"You know this guy, Piccolo-san?" asked Gohan, but before Piccolo could reply, Goku broke in.
"He looks strong. You wanna spar?" he said, getting into a fighting stance.
"Respect!" snapped the monk with the similar-looking hat to Raiden's, "This is Lord Raiden, god of lightning and patron of Earthrealm!"
"I suppose that I'm more of a demigod than a full-fledged one per se. Or Lesser God or just 'mystic guy with lightning powers' as far as some of you need be concerned."
"But wait," broke in Gohan, "I thought Dende was the guardian deity of Earth?"
"Oh he is," replied Raiden, "And from everything I've seen, he's shaping up to be an excellent Guardian. But unlike the previous Kami, there is one thing Dende can't do that Kami could."
"Fight?" asked Gohan
"Just so. And that's why I'm here and also why all of you are here."
"I apologize if what I'm about to explain is familiar to some," began Raiden, casting a furtive glance at the Fourth Wall, "but some here need to have this spelled out for them. Some of you," he began, slowly drawing his gaze across the assembled fighters," are here because you have been preparing for this moment for all of your lives, like Liu Kang and Kung Lao. Some of you were invited," he said, drawing his gaze across Goku, Gohan, Piccolo and Android 18, "and some of you are here by chance," he said as his gaze swept over Sonya, Leona and Chun-Li.
"But regardless of the reason for your being here, the truth is that you are here because your world is in imminent danger. Not from plague, pestilence, war or storms but from invasion."
"Invasion from what?" asked Leona.
"A place called Outworld and its overlord, the Emperor Shao Khan."
As Raiden spoke, he stretched forth his hand. Lightning danced from his fingertips, crackling and curling in the air before them until images of a dark, broken land and a massive, hulking figure dressed in spiked armor appeared before them. As Raiden continued, the images moved and shifted before them to match Raiden's words.
"Many long centuries ago, Shao Khan overthrew the previous overlord of Outworld and declared himself Emperor, conquering all who stood before him and uniting Outworld for the first time in its history. And before you go thinking that might have been a good thing, understand that Shao Khan is about as far from being a benevolent ruler as Hitler is from not being a fascist.
Shao Khan yearns to conquer. He hungers for it. And before you knew it, his Shadow Priests had found literal new worlds for him to conquer. And they fell, one by one, Zaterra, Ilkan, Osh-Tekk, the Arnyek Islands, all would fall under his shadow and would become part of Outworld. It seemed like nothing could stop the relentless march of his hordes. That is until the Gods intervened; they declared that if Shao Khan wished to add more realms to his dominion, then he would have to do so through the Tournament of Mortal Kombat. There would be no more armies, only warriors facing each other in single kombat until only one reigned supreme.
This system was first used in the realm of Edenia but unfortunately for them, they couldn't muster up enough warriors to defeat Outworld enough times to save their realm. One of the basic rules of Mortal Kombat is that if a champion from either realm is able to win ten consecutive tournaments, the realm is either saved or doomed… and Edenia wasn't able to do that. Thus, after conquering Edenia, Shao Khan's eyes turned to his next prize… which just so happened to be Earthrealm."
"The first tournament held here on earth occurred over 700 years ago. At first we thought we might be able to succeed where Edenia had failed because we had a mighty champion: Shang Tsung."
"Shang Tsung?! He was a defender of Earthrealm?" said Liu Kang, disbelief etched all over his face.
"He was indeed. If you can believe it, he was as great and good as the mightiest heroes of legend. But much of his power came not just from mastery of martial kombat but from sorcery and ki manipulation as well. In fact the great Master Mutaito developed many of his ki techniques based on Tsung's teachings. But as the saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions; Tsung had dedicated himself so much to the protection of Earthrealm that he began to find… let's call them moral loopholes in his use of sorcery to defend the realm. He learned of a technique that his master had failed to teach him, a technique which didn't just drain an opponent of their ki but their very soul as well. Tsung's master forbid him to use the technique but during his third tournament, Tsung was finally faced with an opponent that he couldn't match in straight kombat. But Tsung didn't just drain him; he absorbed his opponent's very soul. This act, though done in defense of Earthrealm, invariably tainted Shang Tsung and allowed Shao Khan's ideals of power and survival of the fittest to take root."
"Wait, wait, didn't you say this all happened a long time ago? Are you still talking about the same guy?" said Goku in confusion.
"I am still talking about the same guy. The Champion of Mortal Kombat is granted immortality upon winning so that he or she may return to defend the realm in the next tournament."
"So these tournaments don't happen within a couple of years, do they?" asked Gohan.
"They happen once a generation, which on Earth works out to every fifty years. As I was saying, Shang Tsung gradually turned away from Earthrealm, believing that power is ultimately all that matters and that Earthrealm is doomed to fall under Shao Khan one way or another. He fought against us at the next tournament, defeating and stealing the souls of all his opponents. Fortunately, we had another champion waiting in the wings: the Great Kung Lao."
"My ancestor!" said Kung Lao.
"Indeed. But the Great Kung Lao's championship would last only a single generation; Shao Khan was not in the mood to be denied his prize and sent a new warrior to participate in the tournament: Goro, Prince of the Shokan."
As Goro's image appeared before them, Goku grinned in anticipation.
"Four arms huh? That reminds me of Tien's four fists technique from the Budokai!"
Raiden continued without comment, "Ever since Goro defeated the Great Kung Lao 500 years ago, he has been the Champion. This will be his tenth tournament and if he wins it, Outworld gains the right to invade and merge Earthrealm."
Raiden waved his hand and the images wreathed in lightning vanished, plunging the deck of Shang Tsung's junk back into gloom.
"So like or not, you've all just been drafted into a battle that will decide the very fate of Earth. Billions of lives now rest on your shoulders… sorry," he shrugged apologetically.
There was a pause and then Johnny Cage spoke up.
"Dude, you have GOT to come back to Hollywood with me! You're a walking special effects studio; we practically wouldn't even need a budget with you around!"
There were several soft groans from the assembled fighters, mostly coming from the directions of Sonya's group. Kung Lao just glared at Johnny with thinly-disguised contempt.
"Wait a minute! How come I've never heard of this tournament at all?" asked Goku, "Master Roshi never mentioned anything like this the first time he trained me. Did he ever fight in one of these? He's pretty old after all."
Raiden cocked a sardonic eyebrow at Goku.
"Well, the last tournament would have been a good fifteen or so years before you were even born, Goku. And if the Roshi you're talking about is the same one I'm thinking of… then the old pervert probably forgot."
"That sounds like old man Roshi alright!" Goku guffawed.
"I'm… still having trouble processing all this," said Chun-li, rubbing her fingers along her temples, "Not that I wouldn't accept an honorable challenge but doesn't it seem like this Mortal Kombat is a little overdramatic? From what you've shown us, these other realms didn't have the technology that Earth posses. If the armies of Earth could band together, couldn't we…?"
"You're assuming that could actually happen, even with all the politicking and logistics that would have to be done," countered Raiden. "make no mistake; Shao Khan's armies are waiting in Outworld right now and as soon as word is received that Outworld has won the tenth tournament, they will march. And thanks to the nature of portals, they will attack you any way but head-on. But let's not dwell on the maybes and why-fors. This is very likely the best group of Kombatants that Earthrealm has had since the Great Kung Lao, so don't be discouraged. Now, if I could have a private moment with Son Goku and Son Gohan?" Raiden spun on his heel and walked over to the other side of the ship, evidently expecting Goku and Gohan to follow him. They did so and Raiden began to speak to them in a more hushed tone.
"There is one thing I need the two of you to promise me before we get to Shang Tsung's island. You must NOT use your Super Saiyan transformations during the tournament unless ABSOLUTELY necessary."
"What? Why?" sputtered Goku, clearly put off the idea.
"I have it on good authority that Shang Tsung has spent much of the last fifty years in Outworld and thus he is not truly aware of the current strength of Earthrealm's fighters," before Goku could protest again, Raiden's eyes literally flashed, sparks flaring out from the corners, "This is not the type of tournament where you're fighting for the thrill of it or to face powerful new opponents, Goku. This is a battle to save all of Earthrealm's people. Or do you want Goten and Chi-Chi's souls fed to Shao Khan's Soulforge?"
"Huh? You never mentioned anything like that!" yelped Goku.
"I didn't want to unduly intimidate the other fighters. I felt it was enough, at the moment, to say that Earthrealm will be invaded if you fail. Also, remember that Shang Tsung gains much of his power from feeding on the souls of defeated fighters. If he learns how powerful you are before the tournament is over, he will stop at nothing to take your souls and I would rather not have a Shang Tsung empowered by the souls of two Super Saiyans. Now, do I have your word?"
Before Goku could say anything to that, Gohan cut in. "You have our word, Raiden-sama."
"Excellent! Oh and Piccolo, because I know you can hear us even over here with those ears of yours, keep on eye on these two for me, won't you?"
Goku and Gohan's heads swung around to look at Piccolo, who was grinning at them from across the deck. When they looked back, Raiden had vanished, with only the slight echo of thunder to mark his presence.
"Huh, well that was weird. I didn't even feel him go," remarked Goku. He turned to Gohan, about to say something and then frowned.
"You okay, Gohan?"
"Yeah… I think so. I just didn't expect summer vacation to start this way," Gohan said somewhat forlornly.
"Don't worry about it, kiddo," said Goku, smiling broadly, "We've faced down worse than this before. You may not be the same kind of fighter I am, but you ARE a great fighter and a good kid. Everything'll be fine."
"Thanks, dad," replied Gohan, smiling at his father's boundless optimism.
"Hey, guys!" came a shout from Johnny Cage, "Check it out!"
He was pointing to the bow of the ship, where the fog was lifting to reveal a stone arch, which the junk was about to sail under.
All of the fighters crowded towards the bow of the boat to get a look at the island they were arriving at. It had a strange, ethereal beauty in the dawn light, with stately pagodas and temple-like structures rising above lush, green jungle.
"Hey, is it just me, but after the vibe I got from the Shang Tsung guy… is it really weird that hell looks more like paradise?" said Johnny.
And that finishes that chapter, probably the longest one I've written for this anthology so far... which isn't saying much since this is only the second overall chapter :P
And yes, despite the chapter title, Kitana wasn't even in it but don't worry, she will be in the next one. Not the ACTUAL next one, mind you, but the next Kitana chapter. Basically what I'm going to do is alternate chapters, the next one will be the new Asuka Kazama chapter, the one after that will go back to Kitana and then the one after that will be something else and so forth.
You probably noticed that there are a few characters here that aren't from MK, namely Chun-li and Leona Heidern. They probably won't play too big a role but I just couldn't resist having some non-MK characters show up at the tournament, you know, besides Gohan and company. I also decided to go more with the sassy, sarcastic Raiden rather then the super "srs bsns" Raiden from the games. Seriously, Jeff Meek's performance as Raiden in MK: Conquest was one of the few good things that came out of that crappy TV show. (Except for that time he got drunk and was picking up wenches at the bar)